Amargosa Sun
by Somniorum
Summary: After an act of war is committed against Suna, Gaara seeks to defeat an unknown enemy. But the closer he gets to answers, the more he is torn between his dreams and his duties. Neji/Gaara
1. Chapter 1

Hello! Welcome to my first fanfic!

I don't own Naruto or anything related to it.

I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Amargosa Sun  
**

The large caravan walked slowly through the vast, golden desert. At first the warm sands were soft and sparkling, shifting and dancing in the gentle wind. But as time went by the dancing earth grew more and more chaotic. The glittering sands became rough and so dense in the air that the rays of the sun no longer touched them, stealing their sparkle. They could no longer tell if it was day or night and the air became cold and unforgiving. They couldn't see, they couldn't breathe, and soon they couldn't move on.

"We must turn back, Princess!"

"No, it is out here! Our sources weren't wrong! We will find them!"

Soon there were whispers in the air, eerie and echoing. They rapid whispers came from all around them.

"Who goes there?" one voice called out louder than the rest of its whispering companions. "You are trespassing."

"I am the princess of the Pillar Country, here in place of our leader."

"We recognize no such country!" the voice boomed, carried on the strong wind, echoing and making the wagons in the caravan shudder. "You are not welcome here!"

The other voices on the wind chattered more rapidly.

"We cannot turn around!" the princess yelled eagerly. "Please hear my request! I must speak to your leader!" She slowly pulled out a shining talisman and held it in the air. "I must speak to the Kazekage!"

The voices on the wind ceased as soon as the talisman appeared in her hand. Slowly, the rays of the sun started to seep in through the dark clouds of dust. Slowly the darkness turned warm, and slowly the swirling sand started to settle from a roar to a gentle whisper. When the final veil of sand settled to the ground, the caravan found it was surrounded on all sides by ninja. A young woman, with a large, fan-shaped weapon stood directly in front of the caravan, closer than the wall of ninja around her.

"As I said," the young woman said clearly, her eyes focused on the princess. "We recognize no such country. But as a barer of such a talisman I must consent to allow you and a small party to a brief meeting. If anyone else from this caravan continues into our territory, we will be forced to kill you."

"I understand," the princess said. "To prove I am no threat, I will enter alone."

"Princess!" several people from the caravan called out in distress.

"I said I will enter alone!" she said loudly, holding her hand up for quiet. Immediately silence fell.

Both the surrounding wall of ninja and the caravan were still as the princess gracefully dismounted from her horse and approached the young ninja woman with her hands up.

"As you wish," the female ninja said. "I will escort you. I am Temari of the Desert."

* * *

As the young women walked, the sand created a thin dome around them. The princess knew that this was no accident. Currents of air seemed to be coming from Temari's body as they walked. Probably the same currents of air that had blown up the sand storm to halt her caravan. And the same currents that carried the voices of the ninja so eerily across the desert. This dome of sand was not meant to keep people from seeing them. Rather, it was meant to keep the princess from seeing how to get into the hidden Sand Village.

Temari walked proudly ahead, seemingly unconcerned that the princess might have a concealed weapon of some kind. Unconcerned of the fact that this stranger might present some sort of danger to her. Her blonde hair was loose and flowing in the wind, and her perfect yukata-style outfit of dark purple seemed entirely too regal for a ninja. The large metal fan was now folded and strapped to her back, though she seemed unaware of the weight. Perfect in appearance, fearless, and strong. Seeing this, the princess hoped that the rest of the village was held to the same high standards.

"I am sorry for the sudden intrusion," the princess said, trying to break the silence that was building her anxiousness. "I know the Kazekage must be busy leading your village, but this was most urgent."

"He is patient," Temari said with kindness in her voice. "He will listen to what you have to say."

The dome of sand dropped suddenly and they were walking through a long corridor with high stone walls on both sides. High above them, far into the sky and above the walls, the princess could see messenger hawks flying overhead. She wanted to look behind her but feared Temari would object. When they finally cleared the long corridor -- and several ninja wandering in the shadows there -- the princess was breathless at the sight. It would be more fitting to call the village a kingdom. The buildings stretched out towards the horizon, all shining under the sun as though they were made of the same glittering gold and bronze sand of the dessert. There were mountains on all sides protecting the village, and gold symbols and hieroglyphs lined the buildings.

"Welcome to Suna," Temari said, breaking the princess out of her daze. "I will take you to the Kazekage."

The village looked lively, and the people looked happy. It was contrary to many stories she had heard of the serious and militant sand village known as Suna. It spoke well of the leader, or so she hoped.

The walk was long, but neither of them minded. The village was beautiful, and the weather was perfect. When they finally arrived, they were reluctant to leave the sun.

The building looked newly constructed, and the chambers inside the large building smelled sweet and spicy. In one hallway the walls were lined with images of the previous Kazekage. The final portrait, however, was missing from the wall.

"He is waiting for you," a ninja said, allowing them to pass to get to a large set of doors. The princess was surprised at the speed at which the village and the Kazekage had been alerted of her presence.

Temari opened a door and held it open for the princess to enter first. Inside the room was a large desk covered with paperwork. The windows were draped with silken fabrics that cast a deep red hue into the room. And someone stood at a window, dressed in blue robes and a hat with the symbol of wind. Most of his face was covered, and only his eyes were visible to her. Also in the room, standing in the shadows, were ninja. The one who stood closest had a sword at his side. His face was covered with a mask that made him appear as a demon. Of all the ninja in the room, he was the most focused on her actions, but he slowly stepped aside to let her speak to the Kazekage.

"Welcome to Suna," the Kazekage said from behind the cloth that covered most of his face. His voice was deep and even. "What brings you into the desert?"

The princess bowed respectfully, the gold and jewels around her neck chiming softly against each other. Her dark, curly hair spilled forward in spirals and her silver robes whispered ever so slightly in the quiet room. "I am the first princess of the hidden Pillar Country, Princess Kaali."

"Why have you come before us, Princess?" the Kazekage asked.

"We have had word that someone of a certain clan was spotted here. We must speak to someone of this clan immediately. We have need for them."

"Of which clan do you speak?" the Kazekage asked, fixing his eyes on her.

The princess slowly pulled a picture out of her sleeve and bowed her head as she held it out. The guardian with the sword approached and took it. She saw him glance at the image before handing it to the Kazekage.

"I do not know of the clan's name, but we must--"

"I know of them, but they are not of this village," the Kazekage said as he handed the picture back to the masked man.

"What?!" the princess exclaimed. "But… we were told…."

"Unless I am given a good reason, I cannot provide the location of this clan to you. Why do you have need of them?"

"They are the only ones who can keep my village alive!" the princess said, her voice pained at the realization that her trip had brought her so far for nothing. "I can't believe I came so far… only to fail…."

The Kazekage looked at her for a long while. "I am sorry, I cannot help you," he said finally. "But before you go, please tell us how you acquired a talisman such as that gold hourglass you carry. Generations ago we gave talismans only to very close friends of our people. But now, with relationships between villages so fickle, we rarely if ever give out such trust. The presence of that item you carry is the reason I have seen you today, but now I must ask that you return it. You must understand, that whoever you are, this country no longer recognizes you."

The princess nodded and held out the golden hourglass to Temari before turning back to him. "My Lord, there is one more thing."

"Speak, and I will answer if I can," the Kazekage nodded.

"If I cannot have one of that clan… then someone must take their place until someone suitable can be found," she said softly. "It is the only way my people can survive."

Temari watched as the princess sighed deeply, her energy visibly spent. And then Temari blinked as a breeze brushed past her. And in that time, less than a second, that it took her to open her eyes, the Kazekage had vanished along with the princess.

The ninja in the room froze where they were, stunned as they stared at the spot their leader had been standing just seconds ago.

All but one….

The masked one was out the door faster than anyone. His hand was on his sword as he followed the scent of the princess' perfume on the wind. He could feel her life energy, the chakra that ran through her. He could sense her movements and her footsteps. But she was fast. He knew that he was already following a trail that was turning cold.

But he got sight of her as she appeared just outside the walls of the village. The Kazekage appeared disoriented as she tried to pull him along with her. She turned to head for her caravan when she found herself face to face with the masked guardian, his sword at her throat.

"Release him," the masked man said. His voice was calm and deep, but there was a coldness there that sent a shiver through her. "You have committed an act of war against Suna. You will release him now, or I will kill you."

"I can do no such thing!" the princess panted, exhausted and visibly shaken by the speed and skill that allowed him to catch up. His chakra, heated by his anger, was so strong she could hardly bare standing near him. It was like fire on her skin and ice sliding into her mind. "You don't understand! Lives are at stake! This one life will save an entire kingdom!"

"You are surrounded!" Temari called to them, catching up. "Step away from the Kazekage with your hands where I can see them!"

"Who is surrounded?!" the princess demanded. "We would rather die here than go home empty handed, only to watch the suffering!"

Temari's head snapped up in surprise. It had only taken another blink before the entrance of Suna was surrounded by the members of the princess' caravan.

"What did you do with our ninja?!" Temari demanded.

"They were an obstacle!" the princess yelled back. "You are no match for us. Let us through, or he will die here!"

"We will not be coerced," the masked man in front of her said. His sword was still at her throat.

"And we will not be ignored!" the princess yelled.

And then, a burst of wind filled the void where she and the Kazekage were once standing. The princess' caravan was also gone. It was as if they had never been there. Silence fell across the desert, just as it feel upon the masked man, Temari, and the group of ninja guardians who had gathered to save their leader.

The masked man looked around frantically. He was trying to follow a scent, but it was everywhere. He looked for tracks but they lead in multiple directions. The chakra, too, had dispersed and divided in every direction he could think of.

"We must go after them!" Temari called to him.

The masked man looked down, his hands clenched tight in frustration. He then stormed into the village. Temari and the other ninja followed.

"We can't go after them," he said. "Right now we have to work on securing the village. They can easily penetrate our defenses. I want to know who that talisman was last given to. Check the records and trace that country. Send out scouts but tell them not to engage the enemy."

"Yes sir!" several ninja said as they dashed away.

Temari followed the masked ninja all the way back to the Kazekage's chambers. The building was put under heavy surveillance. She watched as he took a deep breath and sat down at the desk, trying to compose himself.

"It was good that you didn't come forward, Gaara," Temari said gently as he pulled the mask off and ran his fingers through his messy red hair. "They would have taken you away."

"Is it good?" Gaara said softly. "I basically handed them my own brother. This is why I don't agree with using decoys. If I can't face enemies myself--"

"The village needs you!" Temari snapped. "You are the Kazekage! That requires you to be selfish in order to be selfless. You have to protect the village, therefore, you can't leave it. Kankurou knew what he was getting into when he volunteered to be your decoy. And we have no knowledge of any village by the name of Pillar. It was necessary." She looked down. "He's my brother too…. I know how you feel."

Gaara sighed deeply, closing his eyes and focusing on the task before him. "You're right," he said, swiftly pulling out a slip of paper to write a message. "Now is the time for action."

"Who are you writing to?" Temari asked, walking over to the desk.

"Konoha," Gaara said softly. "We need to warn them." He pulled out the picture that the princess had left behind and pushed it in front of Temari.

Temari picked up the picture and shook her head solemnly as she looked at the raven-haired, white-eyed young man in the picture. "They really were off course, weren't they?"

* * *

It was a beautiful, breezy day all across the Fire Country. The hidden village of Konoha seemed especially fortunate. The weather was perfect, the ninja were fairly laid back, and the general population was out and about, enjoying the remaining day as the evening set in. It was the type of warm, comfortable day that made the air smell sweet and the breeze feel like silk against one's skin. It brought about a sense of nostalgia for some, and euphoria for those too young to truly know nostalgia. It seemed as though, on this particular day, no one had a care in the world as the sun lazily sank lower and lower into the sky.

Well, no one except for one person….

Neji sat eating soba alone at a table, enjoying the rays of the slowly setting sun from the restaurant's outdoor patio. He might have been more at ease if it weren't for the fact that he could feel people's eyes on him. Whenever he glanced up people would quickly look away from him. Earlier in the day he wondered if he were simply being paranoid. It was then that he lowered his head so that his long, dark hair veiled his face, and then activated his Byakugan. The veins at the sides of his face, just around his white eyes, swelled, but no one could see with his hair in the way… so no one realized he could see their every move. He used the Byakugan to see in all directions around him while he stood still as stone, and he confirmed his suspicions. Behind him, to his sides, in the balconies above, and even people far ahead of him, were staring at him. He let his eyes rest, and his face smoothed out to it's original smooth porcelain feel as he looked up again. And as soon as he rose his head, all eyes were back on their original tasks.

And now his bowl of soba wasn't as relaxing as he wanted it to be. He knew he shouldn't be insecure, but this was getting eerie.

Suddenly, two people sat down at his table without asking. He looked up in surprise, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when he saw his two close friends and teammates, Lee and Tenten.

"I just realized how infrequently we see you out of uniform and in casual clothes!" Lee grinned, his black bowl-cut hairstyle messed up, most likely from a long day of training. Actually… with that smell it was no doubt it had been a long day of training.

"I'm on a forced vacation," Neji sighed.

"Only you would consider that a bad thing," Tenten scoffed. "You're such a workaholic."

"I came out here didn't I?" Neji smiled, raising a brow.

He noticed someone staring at him over Lee's shoulder before looking away again. He sighed and put his spoon and chopsticks down, sitting back in his chair an rolling his head slowly on his shoulders.

"Okay," he murmured, "I want to know why everyone is staring at me. And don't pretend you don't know."

Lee and Tenten glanced at each other, and Tenten tried to smile. "What makes you think we'd know any--"

"Tenten…" Neji groaned warily.

She sighed. "Well, you've become a bit of a celebrity, ever since you insisted on leaving to find that creature. People want to know if you found it and made a contract. Most people believe it's just a myth. And there are a lot of negative stories about it, so some people even think you'd be cursed if you got your hands on it."

"You'd think people would learn their lessons after having Naruto in the village," Neji sighed. "Sometimes all of that negativity is just fiction."

"So…?" Tenten smiled sweetly, leaning closer.

"So what?" he asked, sipping his green tea.

"Did you find anything?" she grinned.

Lee was also leaning in close. Both of them were wide-eyed, waiting for a response. Neji looked at their faces and starting laughing.

"Neji!" Tenten whined.

"I'm sorry," Neji laughed. "You two just look so stupid…."

"Are you really not going to tell us if you found anything?" Lee exclaimed. "There, there, Tenten," he continued as she playfully pretended to cry on his shoulder. "Neji doesn't mean to be a jerk, he was just born that way."

"You two are hopeless," Neji smirked. "And I'm not telling you anything. Not here anyway."

"EAT FASTER!" the two yelled at him. And to that, he simply smiled and took his sweet time, much to their annoyance.

"You know," Lee said, "They are also staring because you're so well known, but people hardly see you. When is the last time you weren't focused on work?"

"I can't remember," Neji sighed. "There is always something to do. Or there was, until we received that message from Suna a few days ago."

Lee nodded in understanding. He knew Neji didn't like standing idle anymore than he did. But a few days ago Konoha received a message from the sand village. There were details about an attack, a kidnapping, and finally, details about how the people responsible were hunting for the Hyuuga clan. After much reflection, both the Hokage and the leaders of the Hyuuga clan agreed that all Hyuuga members were to be taken off duty until further details emerged. Neji couldn't stand the idea of not doing his job, but being obedient and loyal as always, he accepted his vacation. It was the first one he had taken in a long, long time. He hardly knew what to do with himself.

Some giggling to their side made them turn to a table not far from them, and a group of chattering girls quickly looked away and busied themselves eating mochi. They were smiling and blushing and trying not to laugh.

"Looks like you have fans," Lee whispered to Neji.

"Shhh!" Neji hissed.

"Maybe we should ask them over," Tenten grinned mischievously.

"Don't you dare," Neji said lowly.

"Oh come on Neji," Tenten sighed, looking like he was spoiling her fun. "Have you ever even talked to a girl."

Neji stared at her for a moment, then tilted his head as if contemplating her. "No, can't say I have," he smirked.

She kicked him under the table. "You know what I mean! You have absolutely no social life. Find a girlfriend!"

"So you can have something new to gossip about?" Lee smiled.

"Of course!" Tenten said, sitting back in her chair.

Neji smiled and started to eat more of his food. But then he noticed that Lee kept glancing over his shoulder, looking preoccupied. Neji saw him shake it off a couple times, but then he had to ask.

"What is it?" he blinked at Lee. "Looking for someone?"

"No," Lee said, looking around again. "It's just that every once in a while I think I hear… someone screaming. It's probably just some kids playing or something."

Tenten and Neji stopped talking and listened carefully. A stray sound here and then seemed to carry on the wind. And every now and then, a high-pitched shrill voice, barely noticeable, but somehow still grating to the nerves. Curious, Neji activated his Byakugan and looked far off into the distance. Slowly, he stood up, staring at something Lee and Tenten couldn't see. He didn't look disturbed or scared, only extremely perplexed.

"What is it Neji?" Lee blinked.

"It's… nothing…" Neji said, tilting his head curiously. "I'm going to… go home really quick."

Before they could say anything else he hopped the short patio fence and ran off towards the Hyuuga clan's area of the village. If it were possible for his eyes to malfunction, which it wasn't, he'd say they were doing it now. He ran quickly, finally leaping high into the air and landing on a rooftop, jumping from roof to roof. He picked up more and more speed as he got closer. He stopped using his Byakugan and concentrated only on running. He was one of the fastest in the entire village, but the trip felt far too long for him. He finally jumped down at the front gates that led into the large clan area. But he paused, not wanting to take another step. His eyes hadn't lied to him… but now he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

No one was moving. There was no action, not even the slightest flutter of a bird. But the people were clearly there. A child had thrown a ball to his friend, and the ball was hanging in mid-air. Birds in flight looked as though they were stuck in the sky. A young man had tripped while carrying something heavy, and he was floating just inches above the ground.

Neji watched as a cat brushed past his leg. It glanced at him for a moment before running through the gate. A few seconds later, it was still as stone, frozen in its motion of running.

"What happened here?" someone asked behind him. Lee and Tenten had followed him.

"I don't know," Neji said. "But Tenten, I need you to tell the Hokage. Lee come with me."

"Where are you two going?" Tenten called after them as they ran off.

"To find out where that screaming was coming from!" Neji called back.

It didn't take long to find the source of the screaming. A small group of children huddled together in a dark alley, crying. They were from the Hyuuga clan, and upon seeing Neji they ran up to him and threw their arms around him as they cried. Lee watched as they whimpered and tried to explain what hey saw. From what the two young men could gather, the children had come to find that no one was moving. A few children crossed through the gates into the Hyuuga clan area to get a closer look, and they stopped moving as well. And then a group of scary people…

"…kidnapped Hinata-sama!" one of the children cried.

"What?!" Neji exclaimed. "How long ago?!"

"Not long," the child sobbed. "Just a little bit ago."

"Lee… take them somewhere safe," Neji said. "Take them to Iruka-sensei."

"We might not need to," Lee said, pointing.

People from the Hyuuga clan started walking in and out through the many gates again. They looked as though nothing had happened. The birds were flying again, and the cat that had passed Neji earlier lazily waddled around them.

Even with his Byakugan, his cousin Hinata was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"They breached our defenses without being noticed, then kidnapped Hinata, and managed to make it out alive?!" the Hokage demanded.

"Yes," Lee said. "It sounds exactly like what Gaara-sama explained happened in Suna."

"He neglected to mention they could freeze time," Tenten muttered.

"Yeah… that part is probably kind of important," Lee sighed.

"Let me get this straight," Neji said. "We have no leads, we don't know where this Pillar Country is, they were masked and the only witnesses we have are those children, and we can't track them?"

"That sums it up nicely," the Hokage replied, empathy in his voice. "And it would seem that keeping you here isn't keeping you any safer."

Neji blinked. "You'll let me investigate?"

"Not so fast," the Hokage replied, raising a brow. "We have no leads, right? I'm not just going to let you run around, Neji. I'm sending you three to Suna. You will move discretely and disguise the fact that you are a Hyuuga. We don't want to cause trouble for Gaara. He's already angry enough at losing his brother. I want facts, clues, whatever you can give me. But before you run off trying to play hero, I want information first. Understood?"

"Yes, Hokaga-sama," Neji bowed. "Thank you."

"You'll leave tomorrow," the Hokage nodded. "Dismissed."


	2. The Hourglass

**Amargosa Sun: The Hourglass**

The sun started to set behind the mountains surrounding the sand village. Ever since his brother Kankurou was kidnapped, things had been quiet and peaceful. There were still no signs of the princess or her caravan. And there was very little information to be found about the Pillar Country or track the path of the talismans that his ancestors had given away. Gaara didn't see how the Konoha team coming would help matters, but he welcomed the idea of them coming.

He was glad he was going to see Lee again. He was funny and honest. He told Gaara what he needed to hear. He was also one of the few people Gaara could debate with because usually the other person would get frightened that there might be consequences for disagreeing with him. Tenten was also easy to be around. He didn't have much in common with her, but he didn't feel uncomfortable around her either. She trusted him, and she smiled easily.

It was the leader of their team that made him uneasy. Neji of the Hyuuga clan. Being in a room with him was always incredibly awkward. He was like a block of ice. It was ironic for Gaara to think something like this. Gaara was stoic, but it was nothing like Neji. Lee and Tenten assured him that Neji was warm and easy-going when off duty, but all Gaara ever saw was the no-nonsense, emotionless Neji. Whenever he was in the room, he wasn't very social… always much more observant. And those white eyes of his made it seem like he was staring straight into your core.

People assumed it was hard for Gaara to feel uneasy around people because he displayed so little emotion to most. It was actually just the opposite. It was hard to make him feel shame, needless anger or sadness, guilt, or helplessness or danger or genuine fear. But that didn't mean he felt truly comfortable around people. His senses were always heightened, often even in places with people he knew he should be able to trust. His guard was never down. As a child he felt nothing but pain and betrayal. It was hard to deprogram that. So while he didn't fear people he didn't feel relaxed either. He almost always felt more comfortable alone, where he didn't have to live up to anyone's notions or expectations or power struggles. He was always in control of himself these days, but he found it tiresome to always have to project that to others. He knew that deep down people wondered if he could become a ruthless, cold-blooded, unfeeling killer again, even though he was no longer the host of a demon.

He gently slipped between the crimson cloth curtains and the warm glass of the windows, taking in the last rays of the day's sun. His aqua eyes looked off towards the distance. The trip from Konoha normally took three days. Gaara made sure preparations were complete a day early just in case. Team Gai, as they were called, were the fastest in Konoha. Neji, Lee, and Tenten were unrivaled in martial arts and unbeatable in speed. They would most likely arrive in Suna early. He leaned his forehead on the window gently, as though waiting would get them there faster. He didn't want to admit it, but he hoped that they were in a good mood, or that Lee would be happy to see him. He was lonely. He would hide the fact that he was to everyone, but that didn't make it any less true. But he always worried that people he wanted to see didn't actually want to see him.

He heard a small sound behind him that sounded like something small and metal dropping to the floor. It chimed a little as it fell. Gaara slipped out from behind the curtain and walked over to his desk. It was the talisman the princess had left behind. The golden hourglass. He bent over and gently picked it up, inspecting it for damage. It was still shiny and flawless. It had been taken care of. Perhaps at one point this Pillar Country really did value a relationship with Suna.

The hourglass vibrated in his hands. He blinked curiously and turned it, wondering if he had imagined the movement. The golden sand sparkled as it slid through the neck of the hourglass. It was as though it held its own light. He suddenly narrowed his eyes. To anyone else it might just look like normal sand, but to him, there was something else. Something that wasn't right. He knew the wind, and he knew the earth. Even the smallest grains of sand. And in these tiny grains he could feel the chakra running through them. He concentrated, and for him it barely took any effort to use his chakra to manipulate the sand. He caused it to swirl upward throughout the glass, defying gravity, and then letting it take its course again. He exhaled slowly, toying with the sand, meditating in his own way.

He was deep in thought, completely engrossed, when a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind. He blinked and Temari was waving her hand in front of his face. His body jerked in a startled response to her, and he turned to see Lee with his hand on his shoulder. Tenten and Neji stood hear them, watching. There were doctors and guards in the room. All of these people appeared suddenly and without him sensing them or hearing them or feeling their movement. And not only that….

He slowly turned to Lee, visibly shaken. "Was I unconscious?" he asked softly. "A minute ago… I was…" he put his hand to his forehead and nearly collapsed. The pain felt like arrows shooting through his body. Temari gasped as blood dripped from his nose. The world started to spin around him and he fell. But the ground wasn't there. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at Neji. Those unsettling silvery eyes stared down at him. It took Gaara a few seconds to realize that Neji had caught him before he hit the floor. He really was fast….

The doctor was by his side in no time, wiping the blood from his face. The room slowly stopped spinning and the pain was gone as quickly as it had come. He was looking at Temari and the doctor for answers, but he could feel _his _eyes hovering above him. He started to feel uneasy and slowly tried to stand. Neji helped him up.

"Thank you," Gaara said softly, standing up straight and trying not to look embarrassed. Neji nodded in response and stayed close in case he decided to fall over again.

"Gaara!" Temari said, clearly upset. "What in the world happened to you?"

Gaara glanced at the area he had been standing with the hourglass. It was still in his hand. He hadn't let go of it, even in the fall.

"You've been standing there for hours," Lee said, answering his questioning look. "You weren't breathing or blinking."

"Hours?!" Gaara blinked, pacing for a moment and then staring blankly at the hourglass. He looked up at the window. It was dark outside.

"Neji," Tenten whispered. "This is exactly like what happened in Konoha."

Gaara looked to Neji. "What happened?"

Neji looked up with piercing eyes. "Time stopped," he said, completely confident in his words.

"We saw it," Lee offered quickly, not wanting anyone to think Neji was crazy.

Gaara seemed to be processing something, he stared at the hourglass for a long moment.

"I know it sounds crazy," Tenten said, trying to break the tension, "But--"

"I believe him," Gaara said, looking to them.

"You do?" Temari asked, raising a brow.

"It explains everything," Gaara said, looking at the hourglass. "Me standing here not noticing the passage of time, the way they took Kankurou from right under our noses, the speed at which she got out of the village…." He set the hourglass on his desk, looking at the chakra laced sand. "And I can feel it in this," he whispered, mostly to himself. "This isn't right."

Blood trickled down his throat and he could taste it with each breath. He watched as the sand in the hourglass shifted angrily.

"Gaara," Temari said softly. "This is obviously some form of ninjutsu. It isn't logical to believe that someone can alter the flow of time."

"I have reliable witnesses," Gaara said motioning to Team Gai. "And you saw for yourself what just happened to me."

Temari clearly wasn't buying this. Gaara couldn't blame her, but he couldn't understand how people could so easily dismiss options based on their narrow perception of what logic was or what they believed the world should be. After living with a demon inside of him for most of his life, experiencing that horrifying power, and staying awake for literally years, barely hanging on to sanity… there were many horrors he could imagine that would frighten and harm people far more than altering time could. And yet horrors like that demon, Shukaku, were more easily believed than more delicate and intricate alterations of "logic."

Gaara slowly tightened his grip around the delicate trinket in his hand, he looked up at Temari for a moment before disappearing from view. A moment later he was behind her. She practically jumped away from him, startled.

"I understand that proof is in order," Gaara said, holding something out to Temari. She tilted her head curiously and put her hand out. He dropped a gold necklace with a teardrop-shaped gem into her hand.

"Mother's necklace…" Temari gasped. "Where did you find this?!"

"In your room," Gaara replied, holding up a key.

Temari put her hand to her side, finding her pocket empty. She looked up at him in shock. "You… took my key and went all the way to my house…?"

"And back," Gaara smiled gently at her. He then walked back to his chair behind his desk and settled into it slowly, taking a deep breath. His nose was bleeding again, and he looked pale. He quickly grabbed a handkerchief and tried to stop the bleeding. The doctor was at his side a moment later.

"It's true…" Temari said in disbelief. "But… it seems to take a lot out of you."

Gaara nodded a bit, but managed to look perfectly calm. The room was silent with tension. There were too many questions, and knowing that this Pillar Country literally had all the time it wanted to do anything it wanted made things frightening. There were so many possibilities. They had already invaded and kidnapped people from both Suna and Konoha and left no trail and weren't clear about their intentions or the full magnitude of what they could do. This was much more frightening then enemies in the past. They were dealing with an enemy that broke the rules of the world they had trained in.

All eyes seemed to be turning to Gaara, one pair at a time. Whatever the next move would be, it would be up to him.

Gaara was staring at his desk, still holding a handkerchief to his nose and mouth. He shook his head slightly as if breaking himself out of deep thought. His lips finally parted, and they waited for his orders.

"…I'm hungry," Gaara said.

Temari rose her palm to her face, and took a deep, relaxing breath.

"He did miss dinner," Lee offered, smiling.

"We all did," Temari sighed, giving in. "Come, let's get you guys settled in."

* * *

"Don't you just love this heat?" Tenten asked, stretching her arms above her head while standing in front of the large open glass doors of the apartment they were given. Her hair was all messy from a good night's sleep, and she was wearing pink pajamas.

"Yeah," Lee smiled, joining her and looking up at the clear blue sky. "And the air smells different out here. It has an earthy smell."

"And look at how much you can see without trees in the way!" Tenten explained, pointing to the moon, which was still in the sky despite the daylight. "Neji come l--" she stopped short when she turned to see him sprawled out on his futon, practically wilting in the heat.

"Maybe we should leave these doors open," Lee chuckled. "Or we might lose the great and powerful Neji to the heat."

"I can't help it," Neji sighed. "Konoha is so much cooler than this."

"I can stand how cold it gets back ho--HOLY SH--" Tenten gasped and fell backwards as something suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Is that the extent of your reflexes in the morning?" Gaara smirked. He had leapt from a nearby rooftop and landed on the balcony, seven stories high. He hopped off of the marble railing and helped her up. "Nice pajamas."

Tenten slapped him on the arm. "I am not a morning person!" she whined.

"Then why are you awake?" Gaara raised his brow with an amused tone. The slight sting of her slap slowly turned into a comfortable flutter on his skin. A reminder that she was relaxed around him.

"You're growing your hair out again," Lee said, ruffling Gaara's red hair.

"And you're still not," Gaara said, poking at Lee's messy bowl cut that was far too perfectly formed when it was combed.

Lee laughed and the three gathered at the window to look outside some more. Gaara started to point out various things of interest since they had last been there. But while Lee and Tenten were looking around, it didn't escape Gaara that Neji was sitting uncomfortably behind them, listening. It took him some time to finally force himself to lie down and relax.

Gaara knew what was going on right away. Neji was never comfortable with the way Lee treated Gaara. And now Tenten was getting friendly with him also. Neji was raised in a system that was full of strict discipline and a very strict social structure. To act casually with the leader of a village was probably unheard of to him. Lee had tried to explain to him that Gaara needed friends his age… something he had never had growing up. But Neji was still uncomfortable with the idea. Gaara felt somewhat disappointed that Neji didn't join them in looking at the scenery. He knew it took a lot of strength for Neji to keep from standing at attention when he arrived. And he would probably berate Tenten for slapping his arm later.

"How was the room?" Gaara asked after a long, but not uncomfortable silence.

"Comfortable as usual," Lee said. "You always give us the same room and it's always the most relaxing sleep I've ever had."

"Neji is dying though," Tenten whispered to Gaara.

"I'm fine, really," Neji said, sitting up, annoyed that she said anything.

Gaara glanced at him, then looked out over the village again. He shut his eyes, but could somehow sense that Neji and Tenten were now signaling potentially offensive things to each other. He smiled gently, and a cool breeze slowly wound it's way into the room, filling it with soothing, fresh, earthy air.

"Better?" he asked Neji without turning around.

Neji fell silent and still at the attention as the breeze brushed over him. He realized Gaara was controlling it. "Much better," he said. "Thank you…."

The way his voice trailed off Gaara knew that he had to force himself not to say, "Thank you, Kazekage-sama," or something to that nature. How tiresome.

"What's for breakfast?" Gaara asked, turning to Lee after hearing his stomach grumble.

"Did you eat already?" Lee asked, running to get dressed.

"No," Gaara said. "I was waiting…."

"For us?" Lee called from the bathroom.

"Yes," Gaara admitted. For some reason it was embarrassing. It was that fear of rejection rearing it's ugly head.

"Aww, how sweet," Tenten giggled, much to Gaara's relief. "Hurry up, Lee!" she yelled. "I gotta pee!"

Out of the corner of his eye Gaara could see Neji rubbing his temples slowly. Tenten was really going to get it later, wasn't she?

They got dressed quickly. Neji got dressed last, still clearly uncomfortable. Gaara couldn't tell if it was the heat or the company that was really bothering him.

"Let's eat so you two can get to work," Tenten said, linking arms with Gaara playfully until they were outside of the building. She then kept a respectful distance for appearances.

Gaara and Neji realized at the same moment that Lee and Tenten were mainly there to help when needed. But they weren't necessary in the initial stages of researching Kankurou's and Hinata's kidnapping. In other words, Gaara would have to spend hours alone with Neji.

This situation was getting worse by the second.


	3. The Pillar

**Amargosa Sun: The Pillar**

Kankurou awoke in a beautiful golden room, fit for a king. His body ached and he felt dizzy, and his brown hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat, but he appeared to be in one piece. The bed he was lying in was very large and very soft. He started to drift again, his eyelids feeling heavy. Then he vaguely noticed that he was still wearing the robes of the Kazekage. He was still playing Gaara's decoy. He forced himself to sit up, but the dizziness overtook him and he flopped back on the bed again.

The room was dazzling. Too dazzling. His tastes were much more simple than this. And he didn't think well of people who could live this way. It was far too lavish. Fine cloths, deeply colored and polished wood, gemstones adorning objects that had little to no purpose, an expertly carved fireplace, marble statues, and many other items that seemed like a waste of money and resources.

"You're awake," a gentle voice said. He turned to see a small group of beautiful young women doing various tasks around the room. "Welcome, Kazekage. We are your humble servants."

Kankurou sat up again and shook his head to try to clear it. "Where am I?" he asked. The women didn't seem harmful, and he had been well taken care of. But that didn't change the fact that he didn't come here of his own free will.

"You are our guest," one of the women said softly. "Anything you want, we will see to it that you get it. You only have to ask."

This had to be some kind of joke. The room was extravagant, and these women were all beautiful. They were dressed in thin silken robes of various styles and colors. The ache in his body was the only thing alerting him to the fact that this was no dream.

"I want to know where I am, and why I've been brought here," Kankurou demanded. He got off of the bed and stood up as steadily as he could. "And I want to know now."

"You are in the Pillar Country," one of the women responded sweetly. "You've been brought here to save our people, Kazekage-sama."

"Save you how?" Kankurou blinked. "I wasn't asked to save anyone."

"Our royal family will explain further," another woman smiled. "Now, are you sure there is nothing we can do for you? Food? Drink? Shall we bathe you? Or something more… intimate?"

Kankurou blushed, averted his eyes, and walked over to the door. It was locked. "Let me out or this door is coming down," he said gruffly.

"But everything you will ever need is here," one of the women giggled. "There is nothing outside that you would want. Do we, your humble servants, not please you?"

Kankurou sighed and reached into his robes. But his scrolls weren't there. He couldn't summon his weapons or puppets to help him. And the door was hard and thick. It wouldn't come down easily.

"Please relax, Kazekage-sama--"

"Shut up," he growled and glared at them. There was no need for the false professionalism or formalities of a decoy anymore. This wasn't part of the job description. "You're going to unlock this door," he said, approaching them menacingly.

Suddenly the door flung open. Kankurou turned to see Princess Kaali standing there. He had nearly forgotten her. But she was radiant. Her long dark curls and silver robes were elegant and perfect.

"We will test them now, to find the better match," Kaali said. "We must hurry. Bring him." She then turned and left quickly, yet gracefully.

"If you will please come with us," the women said, "We will take you to see why you are here, Kazekage-sama."

Kankurou sighed in frustration, his temper growing hotter by the second. But he followed them. This would at least get him some answers.

The hallways were even more extravagant than the room was. There were marble statues and stained glass windows and pillars of jade. Light beams of all colors were cast around each hall, making everything soft and surreal. Kankurou was lead down many flights of stairs, down to a massive room in which everything was made of crystal so clear it looked like it was a world of ice. He looked at the crystal columns and flawless crystal statues. But there was something off about the statues. Each looked like it was in pain. The contorted figures were set all around the room, their expressions of various states of pain and distress.

Finally, he was led to a structure in the middle of the room. There was a platform there, and on top, was a person. He was standing in a faint pillar of light that went straight up to the ceiling and seemed to disappear into darkness. He was pale and curled up into a ball. The shadows under his eyes were dark and his eyes looked sunken. His breathing was shallow and he was far too thin.

He looked up as Kankurou approached. And more footsteps came from the large doorway. Kankurou turned and his eyes widened when he saw Hinata of the Hyuuga clan being escorted by a group of attractive men. No doubt she had woken up in a similar situation as him. But he said nothing, only caught her eye. She was as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

"Can it be?" the frail man on the platform croaked. "You're sending me home now?"

"Yes," Princess Kaali said gently. "Now you can return home. Thank you for all you've done for us. We will never forget you."

"But I don't want to go home!" the man pleaded. "I want to stay here!"

"You are too weak now to carry out the task of saving us," the princess responded. "Someone is here to take your place now. We will take you back, and you will live out your days as you once did."

"No!" the man screamed suddenly. "I can still do it! I can still serve my purpose! I have nothing to go home to! Please!"

Kankurou and Hinata watched as the man was pulled away by what they assumed was a team of guards. And soon the lights in the room started to fade. Everything was growing dark. The female and male attendants for Kankurou and Hinata lit candles. The pillar of light in the center of the room was gone.

"Now," Kaali said softly, "Which of you shall serve us first?" she asked, turning to Kankurou and Hinata. "I've heard a lot about the powerful life energy of the Kazekage, but also of the powerful Hyuuga clan. Which of you shall serve us now?"

Kankurou knew she wasn't asking them. They had no choice in whatever decision she was making.

"For now," she smiled, "We will use the Kazekage. You may return the young woman to her room."

A large group of men grabbed on to Kankurou.

"Hey!" he growled. "You haven't told me why the hell I'm here! I didn't agree to anything!"

He fought, but the men who held him were stronger than he was, and inhumanly so. They started to drag him towards the platform. At the same time, the group of men with Hinata started to pull her towards the doorway, smiling with a sickening sweetness.

"Wait!" Hinata cried. "What are you doing to him?!"

"He will save us all," the princess smiled gently.

Hinata shook off the young men around her and ran at the guards holding Kankurou. She delivered a swift series of strikes to their bodies, hoping to weaken them. But when she leapt back, she realized that they took no damage. She looked down at her hands slowly, realizing that her strength and power just wasn't there anymore. Kankurou, who couldn't pull away from the men, was starting to realize that also.

"What did you do to us?" Hinata asked, staring at the princess.

"Gentlemen," the princess smiled, "Please take her away and… find a way to relax her."

"Let go of me!" Kankurou yelled. "I don't want to save a shitty village that doesn't respect a person's free will!"

The princess only sighed and smiled with a gentleness that seemed harsh and cruel considering the situation. "You were so eloquent and refined when we first met, Kazekage-sama. I liked you better then."

The men started to push and pull him towards the platform. But every fiber in his body told him to stay away from it. The candlelight in the room flickered off of the hideous stares of the crystal statues, as if they were terrified to watch what was about to happen.

"No!" Hinata yelled. "Leave him alone!"

Kankurou was inches from the platform, and the princess was staring at him with a crazed fascination in her dark eyes as he fought in vain to stay away from it.

"That man is not the Kazekage!" Hinata screamed before they could pull her outside. "He's from Suna but he isn't the Kazekage!"

"Wait," the princess said, and everyone in the room froze. She took a good long look at Kankurou. "A decoy…?" she murmured. She seemed to be thinking back to when she was in Suna. "The masked one," she said to herself, remembering the powerful chakra emanating from him.

"This man's chakra is too weak to help you," Hinata said. "Use me instead!"

"You idiot!" Kankurou yelled as he was pulled away from the platform. "You saw what the guy on there looked like when we came in!"

"Take him away," the princess smiled with her sickening, obvious sweetness. "And bring her here."

The men surrounding Hinata pulled her to the platform gently. She glanced at Kankurou, then stepped on of her own free will. Seconds later, the pillar of light erupted around her body and shot up to the ceiling again. The room illuminated again, much brighter than before. The horrified stares of the statues were drowned out in the light. But all of the beauty of this palace couldn't hide the fact that Hinata had collapsed and was writhing in pain and discomfort.

"Relax," the princess said gently. "And know bliss."

Kankurou broke free of his captors when they were distracted by the light surrounding Hinata and ran towards her, intending to pull her away. But right before he could reach her he ran into his bed and stumbled on to it. He looked around in shock. He was back inside the lavish room with his beautiful attendants. Hinata and the princess and the giant room with the pillar of light were gone. It was as though he had blacked out, but his heart beating rapidly in his chest told him otherwise. It was as though he hadn't noticed the passage of time itself.


	4. The Tension

**Amargosa Sun: The Tension**

Gaara stared blankly at the thick book in front of him. He wasn't even reading it anymore. He had been staring at it for hours. And to make matters worse everything he learned was starting to jumble together. There were moments when he couldn't even remember what he was looking for.

Neji glanced across the table after hours of studying and noticed Gaara's vacant stare. He resisted the urge to groan. Gaara did this often. For a ninja his head was in the clouds far too often. And it didn't help that Neji was getting increasingly frustrated with being cramped in various hot rooms filled with information that did absolutely nothing to aid his search.

Gaara sighed and stood up. "I'm taking a break."

"Going to see Lee and Tenten again, Kazekage-sama?" Neji asked flatly, still staring at his book.

Gaara frowned and turned to leave. "It's none of your concern."

"With all due respect, it is my concern when we haven't progressed in finding Hinata," Neji said sternly.

Gaara snapped around. "My brother is missing too. Don't forget that."

"You don't seem to be in a hurry to find him."

"Unlike Hinata, Kankurou can handle himself."

"You have no right to question Hinata's abilities," Neji said, finally meeting his eyes with a cold stare.

"You're right," Gaara said. "My brother was playing my decoy and was taken as a result. He was doing his job. But if a member of your head family was kidnapped, doesn't that mean _you_ weren't doing _your_ job? Perhaps I should be questioning your abilities instead."

Neji slammed his book shut and stood up. "You're right, it is time for a break," he said coldly. "If I may be excused…?" he asked, trying to keep some sort of professionalism in his manner, but with the ice still in his tone.

"By all means," Gaara said, gesturing to the door with fire in his eyes that contrasted his calm face.

Neji walked out swiftly and the door closed behind him. Gaara frowned and sat down at the table again, staring at the books and various studying materials in front of him. He felt more secure in here now. Going out there would mean he might see Neji, or he might see Lee and Tenten and have to tell them he wasn't getting along with their teammate. At least here he had his isolation. He sighed and pulled over the book he had been trying to get through. It contained various records of the talismans and how they had changed hands in the past. Much of the information was lost during previous wars, and he suspected Orochimaru had taken many of Suna's records many years ago.

In the new silence he could hear the sand hitting the window, creating a sound that was like crystal hitting crystal… a delicate and soothing sound, like the desert's version of the soothing ambient sound of rain. That twinkling sound calmed his nerves. But as his nerves found a more restful state the calm brought reflection as it so often did. He stared at the book, trying to shake it off, trying to ignore it… but finally he shut the book and stood up, shutting his eyes and rolling his head back in thought. He knew there was no use ignoring this feeling. It was a nagging feeling of guilt. He so rarely felt it but it was there, and he didn't like it. And the best way to get rid of it would be to apologize. He groaned inwardly and walked out the door.

He had the feeling he'd know where Neji would be. Lee had inquired about a place to train, and Gaara had shown them a large dojo and various temples in the village. He noticed that Neji took a particular interest in one of the buildings. He headed straight there. The exterior had a similar style to most of the bronze and golden buildings of Suna. But the interior was in it's own world. The lights were dim and soothing and warm, created by paper lanterns that were expertly crafted and beautifully detailed. The vast ceiling was painted and detailed with precious stones to look like the clear, starry night sky over the desert. There was the faint scent of ceremonial incense and well-tended flowers of flawless white and deep purple.

Gaara walked softly and slowly through the temple, following the red carpet path that rested on top of the reflective dark marble floor. The monks inside would bow to him respectfully has he passed before returning to their duties of cleaning or tending to the flowers or lanterns. They were completely serene in their duties, and Gaara found his mood improving with the tranquil atmosphere and soothing scent and restful silence.

The temple was larger than it looked, but he never lost his way here. He walked through a series of hallways that were heavy with the sweet smell of the temple, and finally came to a stop at a set of closed sliding doors crafted of fine wood and paper with the same designs as the lanterns throughout the temple. He lowered his head and listened. He could hear someone moving inside the dojo. Swift, powerful movements.

Slowly he slid the doors open just a crack and peeked inside. Neji was there practicing his martial arts, moving gracefully over the tatami mats of the dojo. But with every flowing movement was flawless control and unwavering strength. Gaara opened the doors just enough to let himself in, and then closed them soundlessly behind himself. He knew that someone as talented as Neji could sense he was there, but Gaara waited silently for him to finish what he was doing. Gaara also found that he didn't mind watching Neji as he moved, free as air, stable as stone, flowing as water, and with the will of fire. He finally finished his flawless routine, and concluded it with a deep breath, his back to Gaara. He stood silently like that in the center of the room, his head lowered… breathing with long, meditative breaths.

"I'm sorry," Gaara said softly, still standing by the doors.

Neji lifted his head and turned around to face him, his expression blank.

"I'm sorry I implied that any of this was your fault," Gaara continued. "There is no excuse for that. It was unfair… and untrue."

Surprise flashed in Neji's eyes for a second and his expression softened. "Don't be sorry," he said. "You're right. For her to be taken like that is my clan's fault and responsibility."

"You weren't prepared for it because you fight honorably and think honorably," Gaara said, stepping away from the doors. "You can be trained to take precautions, but you can't truly be taught to think like those who lower themselves to win. The moment you really understand how to fight without honor, you've become what you hate." He looked up, gazing meaningfully into Neji's white eyes. "I hope you don't have to learn that… like I did."

Another moment of silence passed between them before Gaara turned to the doors again. "And…" he began, glancing over his shoulder. "I'll try to study harder. I apologize… but after years of being insane it's a little hard to focus for long periods of time." He turned again and opened the doors. "Take your time. You've done more than enough for today."

Then he was gone. Neji looked at the closed doors for a long time, even after he heard Gaara's footsteps fade.

* * *

The next day was different.

When Neji came into the study room, Gaara was sitting and staring idly at the golden hourglass, rolling it back and forth in his hands. Neji couldn't help but smirk when Gaara looked up at him with the apologetic look of a kid with his hand caught in a candy jar. He slowly put the hourglass down and reached for a book. Neji sat down at the table, shaking his head with a smile. Much to Gaara's surprise, instead of sitting across from him as he usually did, he sat next to him.

"May I?" Neji asked, pointing to the hourglass.

"Go ahead," Gaara said, gently pushing it in front of him.

Neji took it and started to examine it. Gaara pretended to be focused on his book to avoid looking at Neji's eyes. He could feel the surge of chakra when Neji used his Byakugan, looking at details that Gaara could never see without a microscope. But those silver eyes still made him uncomfortable. He looked up when he heard Neji set the hourglass down on the table again. Neji's face was rested and smooth, the unsettling technique no longer active.

"Did you see anything?" Gaara asked.

"Nothing you don't already know about," Neji said, tilting his head as he looked at the hourglass curiously. "How did you make it work last time?"

"The same way I use chakra to move sand," Gaara said, picking up the hourglass and holding it up in front of his face. "But the living chakra inside has certain paths and patterns that it likes, and I simply sped up or mimicked the paths that seemed to make it the most comfortable."

"The most comfortable?" Neji blinked. His gaze was interested, but with those white eyes it seemed extra intense. Gaara looked down at the hourglass again.

"The sand in this hourglass prefers certain vibrations," Gaara explained. "And if I mimic those, things start to happen. And I know what it prefers because the sand will go with the flow instead of fighting its path."

"I see," Neji nodded. He scooted closer in his chair, and Gaara felt his discomfort increase. "Maybe I can do it?" he offered.

"It takes a long time to train with sand," Gaara said. "I'm sure you could learn quickly but… maybe it's better if I do it so you can examine in that way."

"We can't do that," Neji said. "It might injure you again."

There was a tone of authority in his voice when he said that. For a brief second, Gaara considered backing down. But only for a second.

"I'll be fine," Gaara said. "And it's worth it. Tell me if you see anything of importance."

He picked up the hourglass and manipulated the sand inside while Neji used his Byakugan to gauge any changes that might be of interest. Gaara disappeared for a second, but soon he was back next to Neji. Neji knew something had changed. The golden hourglass was glowing in Gaara's hands, and he seemed to be concentrating on it. The sound around them had changed. It was more silent and still. There was no ambient noise from outside.

Neji found himself drawn to the talisman as the sand inside swirled and glowed so that resembled a sparkling gold liquid. His eyes were telling him something was there… something important. He reached out slowly to touch it as if memorized. The second his finger touched the gold casing a vision gripped his mind. A second later, the sound returned to normal, and his body was gripped with dizziness and terrible pain. He nearly spilled out of his chair, but was able to keep stable. When his head cleared he realized Gaara was passed out on the floor.

Neji quickly knelt next to him and pulled him to sit up, supporting his weight with Gaara's head resting on his shoulder to keep him from choking on blood in case he started to bleed as he did the first time.

"Kazekage-sama?" Neji said gently. Gaara didn't stir. His breathing was shallow. "Kazekage-sama?!" Neji said more forcefully. When Gaara didn't respond Neji picked him up effortlessly and prepared to take him to the hospital.

"Did you see anything…?" Gaara whispered very softly. His eyes opened slowly, much to Neji's relief.

"Yes, I did," Neji said, looking down at him. "But that is going to wait until you're in the hospital."

"I'll be fine," Gaara said. "Please put me down."

"I'll put you down," Neji said, "But then you'll just be walking to the doctor instead of me carrying you."

"Can't you take a look?" Gaara asked as Neji set him down carefully. "…I hate hospitals."

"I'm not a doctor," Neji said. "Regardless of what I can see, I might not treat it properly."

He walked over and opened the door for Gaara and waited. Gaara frowned, but the look on Neji's face told him this was not a request and that he would be going, consenting or not. Gaara reluctantly walked to the door, his entire body aching and bursting with pain with each step.

"I can go request that a doctor comes here if you wish," Neji said, closing the door when Gaara was outside.

"I'll be fine," Gaara insisted firmly. "Now, what did you see?"

Neji looked uneasy. "I saw Hinata," he said. "She was in pain. And I saw a palace, and a large city. It was too much to process so quickly. I'm trying to remember anything that could help us."

Gaara stopped walking. "We have to try again," he said. "We have to use it again. We need more information."

"Not at the cost of your life," Neji said, turning to face him.

"I won't die," Gaara said. "It only hurts for a short time. I've felt worse."

"Do you still heal as quickly without Shukaku?" Neji asked, raising a brow.

Gaara looked down. "No…" he said.

"Then what you are doing could do irreversible damage," Neji concluded. "I can't let you use it again."

"It's faster than studying with no clue where to begin," Gaara said, getting frustrated. "We're doing it again," he said, holding up the hour glass.

Neji looked down at him with those piercing eyes. "I do this under protest," he said finally.

"Submit it in writing if you like, and I acknowledge your verbal protest, but we are using it now and you're going to find out where they are holding Kankurou and Hinata. Is that clear?"

"Very clear, Kazekage-sama," Neji said. But while Gaara expected him to be angry, he heard a taste of amusement in Neji's voice instead. It didn't show on his face, but it was there. Gaara didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted.

Gaara looked around but the area they were in wasn't very busy at this time of day. He held out the hourglass again and with great effort, used it's force to draw both himself and Neji out of the normal flow of time. Bringing two people took a lot of effort. He could understand now why the princess and Kankurou looked so disoriented and exhausted when they made it out of the village.

Neji quickly touched the hourglass again and Gaara watched him closely. The pain was returning in force, but he held on for as long as he could. He felt as though his heart and lungs were being crushed and his body was growing cold. Finally, Neji opened his eyes with what looked like a moment of clarity.

It was the last thing Gaara could remember before everything went black.

* * *

"I brought him fruit! We should feed him!"

"Tenten, don't flirt with the Kazekage!"

"I'm not flirting, Lee! I'm being friendly!"

Gaara's eyes opened slowly when he awoke to loud "whispers," and he blinked several times in an attempt to clear his vision. Lee and Tenten were sitting by his bedside battling over a basket of fruit. He realized he was in bed. It wasn't the hospital, because it was common knowledge that he hated them, but he could tell the medical staff was visiting regularly. But currently his nurses appeared to be his extremely energetic friends.

"You two!" Temari hissed from some other part of the room. "Shut up! He's trying to sleep!"

"Temari catch!" Tenten said, tossing something to her.

"Oh I love these!" Temari said, her tone instantly calmer.

"What did you throw her?" Gaara muttered, his voice hoarse. "I need to know what I can bribe her with."

"You're awake!" Lee smiled. "We were worried."

Another figured walked over to the bed. Even with his tired eyes Gaara could make out the tall figure with the pale skin and light uniform framed by dark hair.

"I told you not to do it again," Neji said. Gaara could hear it. That smirk in his voice. The same amusement he heard after Gaara stood up to him earlier.

"You should have listened to him Gaara!" Temari insisted, joining the hazy figures crowding around his bed. "And you!" she said, directing her voice to Neji. "You should have tried harder to stop him!"

"What could I do?" Neji asked. "Refuse a direct order and knock out the Kazekage?"

"Yes!" Temari shot back. "Do that thing you do to people with your fingers!"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't word it that way…."

Gaara smiled gently at the exchange. Temari was as fond of this team as he was. She just tried to hide it.

"What's wrong with me?" Gaara asked.

"Altering your course in time messes with just about every system in your body," Temari explained. "It causes so many problems that you start to shut down. It took doctors hours to stabilize you! Circulatory system, respiratory system, chakra system… everything was thrown off!"

"Why is Neji okay?" Gaara asked.

"His chakra system is so advanced that it regulates and deals with changes more quickly and readily," Temari said, glancing at Neji. "But had he stayed too long he'd be in the same state as you."

"Can it be prevented?" Gaara asked.

"Not that we know of," Temari sighed. "We aren't completely sure of the causes."

"Neji, what did you see?" Gaara asked, turning towards him. He sat up as best he could with Lee's help, and as soon as he was upright Tenten popped a piece of fruit into his mouth. He tried not to blush at the attention as he chewed. Whatever it was, it was soft and sweet.

Neji looked down at the floor for a moment, his white eyes flickering with both amazement and frustration. "It will be hard to find, but there were clues. I'll write down landmarks I remember, and well as notes on the terrain. I saw a lot more this time."

"Did you see Kankurou?" Temari asked.

"No, I'm sorry," Neji said. "But there was a lot to see. There is no proof that he's been harmed. The place looked relatively peaceful from what I gathered."

"Except for what you saw of Hinata," Temari grimaced.

Neji only nodded and closed his eyes. They remained in silence, trying not to think of the possibilities for Kankurou if Hinata was in such a bad state.

"Someone is coming!" Lee said suddenly.

As soon as the door opened and the doctor came in, the atmosphere had changed. Lee and Tenten had pushed their chairs back further from Gaara's bed and had hidden the colorful fruit basket under the table. They were discussing some made-up battle plans for a made-up mission. Neji had appeared by the window and was staring outside with his arms crossed. Only Temari remained by the bed, but now she was seated and looked more serious. Everyone looked calm and professional.

Almost.

"Kazekage-sama!" the doctor smiled. "You're awake. How are you?"

"I'm fime, fank ou docther" Gaara said softly, his mouth still full of fruit.

Someone snickered behind the doctor, but when he turned to Lee and Tenten it appeared that they were solemnly staring at a mission notebook. He blinked and shook his head, as if he though he was hearing things.

"Well," the doctor smiled, "That's good to hear, Kazekage-sama. But you can't test that hourglass anymore. If Neji wasn't there to bring you in you would be in a coma right now."

"I understand," Gaara nodded. "But I'm fine now, doctor. I have to discuss our findings. How much longer do I have to stay in bed?"

"Normally I'd say a week," the doctor said, crossing his arms. "But considering that you're just going to get up and leave like you always do--"

"He will stay in bed doctor," Temari insisted. "We'll keep an eye on him."

"See that you do," the doctor said. "I'll drop in periodically." He looked around the room. "You all seem responsible. See that he doesn't overexert himself."

And with that the doctor left. As soon as the door shut the group swarmed Gaara's bed again.

"Why do we have to hide that Gaara has friends?" Tenten frowned.

"We have to keep up a completely professional appearance," Temari sighed. "Gaara is still a young leader. We have to do everything we can to keep his appearance as a leader. If people saw him hanging out with friends casually, combined with his youth, people might have trouble taking him seriously."

She looked up to see Gaara looking at her intently and nodding… chewing another mouthful of fruit that Tenten had forced on him again. She couldn't help but smile.

* * *

(My friend said I was weird because I don't leave author's notes at the bottom! So here is a note! o.o ........ o.o;;;;

Please review? ^.^ )


	5. The Walls

**Amargosa Sun: The Walls**

Neji sighed softly, holding the golden hourglass in his hands as he manipulated the chakra that swirled through the sand. But although his ability to sense and control chakra was superior to almost anyone else alive, he couldn't get it to work for him. He remained in the flow of normal time. The chakra would swirl, but it wouldn't change to liquid gold the way it did when Gaara had made the talisman work. The only thing he could think of was that it might take a certain chakra element to really control the talisman. Or perhaps he needed a sense of sand, the way Gaara had it.

Neji had submitted notes on his findings to Gaara for him to pass them along to be studied by people familiar with distant lands. He also sent a message back to Konaha to inform the Hokage about their findings. Now all he could do was wait. Even if they discovered where the Pillar was, they still needed permission to go. Well, Neji, Lee, and Tenten needed permission. Gaara could send anyone from the sand if he wanted to. Neji had to wonder if Gaara was frustrated not being able to go himself. After all, he had Suna to lead.

Usually Gaara wore his blood-red uniform when they were going to spend the day studying. But sometimes Neji saw him in his blue robes. The robes of the Kazekage. Gaara was like a completely different person then. And it was during those moments when Neji had to admire the tremendous responsibility that Gaara had taken upon himself. But it was also becoming increasingly clear, as Gaara stood among elders and politicians and teachers and countless ninja awaiting his orders and approval, that Gaara was lonely. Gaara was a powerful figure in his village. One who had respect… and in some cases, fear.

But Neji could see that Gaara had fears of his own. Whenever he saw Lee and Tenten, there would be a fear in his eyes that they couldn't see. But Neji saw it as plain as day. It was as though Gaara was afraid that they would suddenly hate him or reject him or forget him. And they also couldn't see the relief that Neji saw wash over Gaara when they greeted him warmly.

"Can't we just take him home with us?" Tenten asked one night as she looked out over the village from the balcony.

"Could it be that you're falling for Gaara, Tenten?" Lee smiled.

"Of course not…" Tenten said softly. "I just have to wonder… what happens to him every time we leave? Our vacations are so infrequent and we can rarely come here. What happens to him? Who does he talk to then?"

Neji was lying on his futon, staring up at the ceiling as he listened. He thought of Gaara's lonely eyes, the color of a stormy sky just before the sun, framed with dark circles from years without sleep. But those shadows around his sad eyes contrasted his fragile, youthful features. His messy, fiery hair surrounded his calm face and sad eyes, making him look like a disheveled doll with no one to care for him.

"He is attractive though," Tenten giggled, staring out over the desert city with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"He's not your type," Neji said.

"How would you know?" Tenten said, turning towards them. "He needs some fun in his life."

"Your idea of fun with boys usually involves lying on your back," Neji muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Neji said as he sat up slowly. He sighed and stood up, patting Lee on the shoulder as he passed him. Without a word he walked passed Tenten and jumped off of the balcony and dashed across the rooftops. The fresh night air whipped in his face and sent a chill through his long hair that held to each dark strand. He eventually landed on the ground in front of the Kazekage building. To his relief he didn't need to think of an excuse to get inside. Temari was standing in front of the building, sipping a cup of sake.

"I didn't expect it to be you," Temari smiled. "Normally Lee or Tenten sneak over to see him and I have to tell them to let him rest."

"Are you going to tell me the same thing?" Neji chuckled.

"No, I figure you get a turn," Temari smiled playfully. "Go ahead."

"You aren't going to accompany me up?" he smiled. "Isn't that against policy?"

"If Gaara has to fight you, I'd put my money on him," she smiled tauntingly.

He rose a brow and smirked as he went inside and up the stairs. The truth was that Temari trusted him. He knew she was more trusting than she was willing to admit. Not that her trust was misplaced. He actually appreciated it. He so seldom saw people extend trust these days. He knew that Gaara wanted to be the same, but he had been hurt far more than Temari had.

Lost in his thoughts, he hardly noticed when he was at Gaara's door. He knocked gently at the door lined with what looked like an intricate golden pattern and gold inscriptions. The word "Kazekage" had been set on the door in splendidly crafted gold lettering.

He didn't get an answer and turned with a sigh. But he couldn't help but think of what Lee and Tenten had talked about before. What would happen to him after they left? How lonely was he really? He turned, letting his white eyes trace over the golden patterns of the door. He quietly approached again and knocked softly. When there was no answer he opened the door very quietly. He could have used Byakugan to look inside without opening the door, but somehow using that felt more evasive.

He slipped inside and saw Gaara sleeping soundly on his bed. To Neji's surprise, Gaara's bedroom was very comfortable looking, as though extra care was taken to make it into a sanctuary. In other words, he was a loner who probably spent way too much time by himself. Neji walked through the room, which reminded him of the soothing temple he had trained in. It had a similar smell, similar intricate lanterns, low light, and reflective marble on the floor with rugs that cast splashes of color over it. Pictures of Temari and Kankurou rested on a table next to a tea set. Red spiced tea sat cooling in a cup.

Neji approached the bed and looked down at the slumbering red-head. To his surprise, Gaara appeared to be a deep sleeper. He stirred gently and murmured something to himself in his sleep, but he was clearly lost in a good dream. The weight of his body sank down slightly in the soft bed, surrounding him in a sea of silvery white. He looked more peaceful than Neji had ever seen him. So peaceful that it seemed as though waking up must be torture every time he had to do it.

There was something in his vulnerability that held Neji there. It wasn't the fact that he was still pale and weak. There was something else there. Something that made Neji want to stay in case Gaara needed him. Neji sat in the chair that the doctor or Temari had probably placed next to the bed. He was unsure of what he was waiting for.

Gaara stirred again and rolled onto his side, his peaceful face close to Neji's side of the bed. Neji couldn't help but feel that in this dream, Gaara was neither Kazekage nor ninja. In that dream Gaara could just be Gaara. Free in a way he never had been and never could be.

Gaara woke up refreshed the next morning, not realizing the empty chair next to him was still warm.

* * *

A message flew in to Suna later that day on a priority messenger bird. The Hokage sent instructions for Team Gai to seek out the Pillar Country, with very specific instructions to retrieve Hinata and leave, avoiding as much conflict as possible for the time being. There were also instructions to look for Kankurou and rescue him, as well as any other people who might be held hostage if possible.

Of course, this also meant it was time for them to go. Gaara gave them information about the terrain they would need, detailed maps, provisions, and information and notes he and Neji had collected about any people in Suna's past who might have carried the talismans or who might be related to the Pillar. It was decided that sending a team from Suna would make it hard to coordinate a secretive mission in an unknown country, so they would wait for word from Team Gai.

"And keep in mind that talisman didn't have any special powers before it was given out," Gaara said. "They infused it with this chakra in order to help them manipulate time. But there could be any number of objects that could carry power like this. So be on your guard."

"Don't use that while we're gone, Gaara," Tenten frowned. "Okay?"

"Okay," Gaara nodded, still confined to his bed due to Temari's threatening glare anytime he tried to leave the room. "If you have any trouble," he said, looking down at his blanket with a distant expression, "You know you can always return to Suna."

"Remember that you have to rest up," Lee said. "Rest is a part of training too. You should probably stay in bed for a while."

"We both know I'm not going to," Gaara managed a small smile.

"Yeah…" Lee grinned, "I wouldn't either. But at least it got said."

Tenten threw her arms around Gaara and hugged him tightly. His eyes widened a bit in surprise, but he hugged her back. He looked as though he had been given a gift that he wasn't expecting. And Lee was next, hugging him and patting him on the back.

"It was good seeing you," Lee smiled. "We'll miss you."

Neji took a step forward. "Could you two leave us alone for a moment?" he said to Lee and Tenten. "There is something I had to discuss with him before we go."

Lee and Tenten nodded sadly and gave one last look to Gaara and waved, walking out the door and shutting it behind them.

Gaara blinked at Neji curiously as he sat down in the chair next to the bed. Neji relaxed into a more casual pose, folding his hands on the bed and leaning forward. Gaara's anxiety shot up a little at being a room alone with him.

"Is being Kazekage worth being this lonely?" Neji asked, his white eyes snapping to Gaara's face.

Gaara inhaled slightly, caught off guard by the question. "It's not that bad," he said after a moment's silence.

"That's not what I see," Neji said, his eyes searching Gaara's face slowly. "No matter how emotionless your mask, I can see straight through it," he said, his voice firm and piercing. "You haven't learned to hide the emotions in your eyes."

Gaara tried not to flinch when Neji's eyes met his. It was an intense, probing stare. "Just think about the question," he said.

Neji then leaned in and hugged him. It was a strong hug, one that made Gaara feel small. But that feeling was nothing compared to the overwhelming shock of being so close. And the hug was genuine and warm. Gaara hugged back without noticing his actions. It was a surreal moment. Neji had always seemed to regard Gaara as nothing more than the Kazekage. But this was the act of a friend. Gaara felt as though his own mind couldn't fully process what was happening, or why the moment had awakened his senses even more than the hugs from Lee or Tenten.

"It was good seeing you," Neji said in his ear before pulling away.

He stood and headed for the door, but before he turned Gaara caught a slight smirk on his face. The same smirk that Gaara heard in his voice days before. It was maddening not knowing what it meant.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Gaara asked.

"Because of you," Neji smiled at him with a sly glint in his eyes.

Gaara frowned a bit. "Are you mocking me, Neji?" he asked.

"No," Neji said sincerely. "I respect you too much."

Gaara blinked, even more confused than before.

"Don't hurt yourself again," Neji said as he opened the door. "I'll find out… and I won't be happy."

Gaara only nodded slightly as the door closed behind Neji with an echoing click that made the room feel more empty.

* * *

Gaara tried to sneak out through the window, and the door, and through the secret passage in his room. But in nearly every case he found apologetic ninja begging him to stay in bed. And he did, because he didn't want them in trouble with Temari. They didn't deserve that kind of torture.

The bed felt good though, and his body begged him to lie down every time he tried to sneak out. He finally obeyed what his body wanted and rested in his cloud of a bed. He sank into the silver white sheets and blankets and sighed. He realized that he had kept up with his work for months, and was so far ahead of schedule that he could easily relax. But he couldn't help but feel bad for just lying there.

And he wanted to keep busy to get rid of the aching loneliness he felt now that his friends were gone. He thought back to the day he had written Lee years ago, apologizing for nearly killing him when they were young Genin ranked ninja. When Gaara became Kazekage he wanted to make his past wrongs right… as much as he could. The letter he wrote Lee was short, and very simple. But he hoped he conveyed just how sorry he was. He respected Lee for being such a strong person, even overcoming the hardship of Gaara crushing his limbs and leaving him a bloody mess on the arena floor. In fact, when Gaara was kidnapped by the Akatsuki years after that incident, Lee was on one of the teams from their ally Konoha who came to rescue him.

Gaara felt a little better after sending the letter, but nothing compared to the response he received. Lee forgave him completely, and said he was happy and honored to hear from him. He then told him how exciting it was to know that Gaara was a successful Kazekage, and that it would mean great things for Suna and it's relationship with Konoha.

At the time, Neji was still the only elite ninja in the group… the only one to make it to Jounin level out of all of his peers in Konoha. The others started to crawl up in ranks much more slowly. Currently, Team Gai was a feared group of Jounin, with Neji, Lee, Tenten, and their sensei, Gai. Although Suna was considered extremely dangerous, few groups achieved the same fame as Konoha's Team Gai. But no one's progress had been as fast as Gaara's. He had gone from the lowest level of Genin to the highest rank in his village in less than three years. He was the youngest of all the village leaders, and as a result of his progress… the most lonely.

He could remember reading Lee's letter over and over. It was odd having something so specifically addressed to him. Something that was actually intended for his eyes only. He wondered if most people felt this same fascination when receiving a letter. And he felt so much gratitude at receiving it that he wrote back to thank Lee for writing back. And Lee responded, much to his surprise and delight. It started a long chain of letters between them. And later, Lee expressed that some of his friends were feeling jealousy at Lee's friendship with Gaara, and inside of the envelope there was a hastily written letter from Naruto, a bubbly letter from Tenten, a letter from Gai telling Gaara that he was proud of how far he'd come, and a friendly letter from the Hokage himself. Gaara's eyes were wide with surprise and happiness. He couldn't imagine why they would want to speak to him. And when he questioned Lee about it in his next letter, Lee explained that it was natural to be drawn to someone so well-known, but also because Gaara was a valued ally and an interesting person.

He also wrote, "I'm glad we're friends now, Gaara."

That statement, combined with the letters from the others, created one of the happiest feelings Gaara had ever felt in his entire life. But then the doubt rolled in. He wondered if they were just playing a joke on him. Maybe it wasn't really Lee at all. And if it was him, maybe he thought Gaara was pathetic. It kept Gaara up at night wondering if they were just toying with him.

But then a chance to find out arrived.

Lee asked to visit when he had some free time. Gaara agreed, and felt he would be able to feel what Lee's intentions really were. He prepared himself for what was to come. He prepared himself for Lee's declaration that it was all a cruel joke. But when Lee arrived… he was so friendly, open, and kind, that Gaara felt his doubts slipping away. He didn't want to be lonely anymore, but he didn't want to be hurt either. But in the end, and after more visits that did nothing to cause doubt or concern, Gaara learned to trust Lee completely.

The rest fell into place, with Tenten eventually tagging along out of curiosity and Neji coming to make sure Lee and Tenten weren't causing trouble. Tenten grew to love the desert. Neji was the only one who seemed uncomfortable. Gaara realized one day that he would probably be lonely with vacation time without his friends, so he came along. He knew the sting of loneliness also.

Gaara's mind drifted out of the distant past and into the more recent past. He recalled each hug he had been given before Team Gai left. Lee's brotherly hug. Tenten's hyperactive clinging, and Neji's hug…. Neji's wouldn't leave his mind. It was still surreal to him, as though he couldn't believe it happened. But there were other sensations in that memory, like Neji's deep voice in his ear or that slight woodsy scent that drifted from his hair and uniform.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed. If he could glare at himself he would. "You can't be serious…" he thought to himself. "Of all the people?!" He flopped down on his bed with a groan. It had to be the loneliness talking. It couldn't be some sort of infatuation. That would just be immature and inconvenient and not to mention awkward.

Temari came in without knocking and he looked at her with frustrated eyes, not bothering to sit up.

"Don't look so gloomy," she said, locking the door behind her. "I brought dinner, a plate of that fruit Tenten was force-feeding you for dessert, and…" she held up a book.

Gaara sat up slowly and looked at the book. "What is it about?" he asked.

"You'll find out when I read it to you," she grinned. "And you're stuck in bed, so it's no use acting like you're too old for fairy tales. I know you love them."

Gaara smiled just a tiny bit, but his eyes lit up. When his friends weren't there, he had his siblings. He would do anything possible to get Kankurou back safely. But for now, he had dinner and a story waiting. And he was never one to deny being given pieces of the childhood that were stripped from him.

* * *

He knew he had started to drift long before the story was over. But as he slipped into sleep he seemed to awake in a dream. But although it was a dream he truly felt aware. He knew it was a dream, but his mind was so clear and present that he felt as though he might not truly be sleeping at all. He was floating in a dark void.

"Help…" whispered a voice in the darkness. "Please…."

"Who is there?" Gaara asked, his voice echoing.

As soon as he spoke, the blackness disappeared. Sucked away as though inhaled by the nothingness. In it's place was a lavish palace. But Gaara could only see so far. The edges of the room were fuzzy. It was as though a fog covered most of the room except the place he was standing. The room was pure white, and the air was very still. Gaara realized that he was cold, and he started to shiver. Snowflakes slowly drifted from the fog above them, even though Gaara swore this palace room was indoors.

"Help me…" said a small voice.

Gaara walked forward. As he advanced in the white palace room, the fog cleared around him, but then closed in behind him again.

"Help me…" the voice repeated. It sounded like a young woman. He continued into the room, though the voice seemed to be all around him.

He then heard crying, and it echoed all around him in the fog. The crying softened very slowly, until he had to strain to hear it. And then there was silence. Silence and fog. And then… a horrified, tortured scream.

The scream was cut off by a choking sound. A disgusting gurgling strain of breath.

Gaara hurried towards the sound, which finally stopped echoing and seemed to be coming from a certain corner of the room. He tore through the fog as fast as he could until he got to the corner of the white room that almost seemed endless. But as soon as his hands touched the wall and the fog in the corner had cleared, he found no one. But there was a small hole in the white wall that was only about the size of his fist. It was pitch black in that hole, and there was an eerie whistle of wind coming from it.

Gaara sighed and turned to see if there was anything behind him, but there was only more fog. And despite the hints that this dream world seemed to be giving him, there was no way he was sticking his hand in that hole.

It turns out that he didn't have to.

He heard a crashing sound, but his body wouldn't move in time. Several hands burst through the wall and pulled him backwards, causing him to slam his back against it. They held on to him tightly. Rotting hands, oozing with blood and puss, held his arms and legs tightly, pinning him to the wall. He tried to fight, but couldn't. He realized that he felt weak and sluggish and powerless, as though his chakra wasn't working properly. Two more hands punched their way through the wall and grabbed him roughly by the throat.

"Why does it have to hurt so much…" the voice from before hissed harshly. "What did I do to deserve this?!"

"Wh… who are--" Gaara tried to ask her name but the hands on his throat tightened. A couple of the bloody arms from the walls seemed to rot before his eyes, dropping off to his sides before more hands shot through the wall to take their place at holding him there firmly. The smell of decay was overwhelming and it made his stomach turn. But he had to try to get as much air into his lungs as he could with the hands gripping his throat.

He could hear pounding and scraping from behind the walls now, like dozens of people trying to break their way out. He could hear screaming and moaning along with the scraping. Whoever was back there, they didn't just want freedom. They wanted his life.

He felt something crawl over his hand, then his legs, then his chest. He looked over to see snakes and spiders, scorpions and bugs, and several other disgusting creatures spilling out of the first hole he found in the corner. They started to swarm into the room. Snakes started to slither into his clothes, cold and scaly against his bare skin. Roaches and millipedes started to crawl up to his face and into his hair. He shut his mouth and eyes, but they tried to make their way into his ears and up his nose. Finally he had to gasp for air, and instantly he regretted it. He could practically hear the scratching coming from his mouth as the swarm made it's way inside… down his throat.

With a final, reflexive burst of strength, he pulled away from the wall and fell forward, crawling away from it over the snakes and bugs and vermin as the bloody hands reached out for him again. The pounding and the moaning from behind the wall grew louder and louder. It sounded like they would break through at any moment and tear him to pieces. The walls were starting to crack.... He gagged and spit what he could out of his mouth and brushed his hands across his face. But when he looked up as he made his way over the writhing mass there was a large snake, fangs ready as it struck directly for his eye.

Gaara flinched and shut his eyes, too surprised to yell out. But as soon as he opened them again, the room was silent, clean, and white again. He turned to see that the wall was whole again, and even the original hole was gone. There were no people behind the wall now, and no bugs or snakes anywhere to be seen. Gaara stood up slowly and looked around. Again, it was nothing but fog.

He felt something wet against the top of his head and at first thought the fog was just getting more dense. He then realized that it was dripping more heavily, like rain. Rain in the large white room. He looked up, and he found that it wasn't rain that dropped onto his sweaty face, but a stream of blood. Gaara quickly stepped out of it, eyes wide. The fog slowly started to clear above him, and there he could start to see shapes and forms.

The high white ceilings were splattered with crimson blood. Several people were hanging, strung up with barbed wire. Among them were Hinata, and his brother Kankurou. Hinata was writhing, the only one moving in the mass of dead bodies hanging above him. She screamed soundlessly as she twisted in pain.

"Hinata-san?!" Gaara yelled up to her. "Kankurou?! Kankurou answer me!"

Kankurou's eyes opened slowly, and he looked down at Gaara helplessly. He reached out for him as best he could, causing more blood to spill upon the floor. Soon it was raining blood from all of the bodies. Gaara had no way to take shelter from it.

Suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder from behind and he turned around to see a young woman, her face rotted in, so skinny that she looked like a skeleton with skin hastily stretched over. Her sunken eyes bled as she stared at him. She was covered in blood.

"Why does it have to hurt so much?!" she croaked. "Break this cycle! HELP… ME…."

Gaara heard footsteps coming from the other side of the massive room and turned to see Lee, Tenten, and Neji running towards him. He started towards them but the bloody young woman grabbed hold of him, holding him in place despite how frail she looked. And then he could only watch as the fog seemed to solidify for a brief moment around Lee and Tenten. They screamed in terror and pain, but it was cut short. When the fog lifted they were nothing but crystallized statues with strained, tortured expressions.

"NO!" Gaara yelled as he tried to pull away from the young wraith of a woman.

Neji's wide white eyes met his for a brief moment. And right before Gaara's eyes, barbed wire rained down from the ceiling and struck him, stabbing him through his body in several places. He shuddered as he took his last breath, and slowly slumped forward, suspended in the wires that impaled him like a puppet with tangled strings.

"No…!" Gaara yelled, averting his eyes.

He felt hot tears slipping down his face, and then he screamed.

"AH! What?! What's wrong?!" Temari yelled, jumping up from the bed after falling asleep next to him. She jumped up with a kunai in hand. "Where?! What?! I'll get it!"

Gaara was sitting up in bed, his chest heaving. He couldn't remember the point when he forgot he was dreaming. It felt so real. He looked at the ceiling, floor, and walls of his room. They were still the same. No blood, no bugs, no snakes, no arms, no wires. He ran his hands through his red hair and over his pale face. He was clean, except for the sweat that drenched him.

"That must have been some dream…" Temari said, sitting next to him.

Gaara pulled her into a hug. He usually wasn't this physical. But now he held her tightly, still breathing heavily.

"I have to go after them…" Gaara breathed, his head buried against her shoulder. "I have to go after them…."

* * *

Thanks for reading this far! Please review!

* * *


	6. The Broken

**Amargosa Sun: The Broken**

Air is breathed through the lungs….

Cold is felt on the skin….

These sensations are… unbearable….

He slowly opened his eyes, his long lashes parting to the cool air. His body shivered and tensed. It was uncomfortable. A wretched feeling. He became painfully aware that he wasn't dead, and he wasn't still. His chest was rising and falling, and there was a steady thump in his chest. He felt stiff and fragile, hungry and tired, cold and short of breath. So many wretched sensations….

He fumbled to stand like a newborn deer. His body didn't obey at the efficiency he wanted it to. He coughed, and his body was overtaken by a serious of tremors. Everything was becoming clear now. He looked down at this hands, and touched his chest, then his stomach, then his face, then his hair. Slowly, he hugged himself, his hands shaking, his body trembling.

He thought it might be Hell itself. It was disappointing to say the least. Nothing more than a cold dark storage room with random weapons and treasures.

Again he tried to stand up, supporting himself against the wall. He was shaking as he limped to the window. He looked outside to see snow. No wonder he could hardly breathe. It was the unfamiliar altitude. And no wonder it was cold. But the question was, how was it that he could feel anymore?

He felt so weak. He needed food. But his memories were so hazy. He had no idea where he was. He remembered feeling trapped… unable to move… only able to get brief glimpses of reality from his damaged body. That was hell enough, but now this. To relive this curse of being alive. He felt filthy.

He heard footsteps and whispers from the other side of the door. Someone was coming in. He slipped away from the window as quietly as he could and saw no other option but to lie on the floor like a crumpled doll. Maybe they wouldn't notice him like that.

There was a click from the door unlocking, and it opened slowly, casting bright light and warmth into the dark room. Two young women came in carrying various items held in boxes.

"The palace is so bright now," one woman commented. "I'm glad we found a new one. The last one's power was starting to wane a great deal."

They walked right up to him, then around him, placing the boxes down as though they didn't see him at all.

"What is her name?" the other woman asked.

"Hinata," her companion responded. "She should provide enough energy until we find a more suitable host. I hear she isn't as powerful as Princess Kaali expected."

"What about the man?" the other said. "Kankurou? Can't he do it?"

"No," her friend said. "He is not the person the princess thought he was. We suspect he is too weak. If that turns out to be true, we will have to send him away."

"Or perhaps he must be sacrificed?"

"Perhaps."

He couldn't understand what the two women were discussing as he lie on the cold, hard floor. But he did recognize the name "Kankurou." It was very familiar.

"Oh my!" one woman gasped. "I hadn't noticed how lifelike this was! I hate things like this!"

He held still as she brushed his hair away from his face. He kept his eyes closed and his face rested.

"I think it's simply adorable!" the other said. "Where did it come from?"

"Apparently it just appeared by the scrolls one day. Perhaps it belonged to Kankurou. I've heard of dolls like this."

It was silent for a moment as both women knelt to the floor and touched his face and hair. Their hands started to wander. This was displeasing.

"He feels so lifelike," one of them whispered. "I heard it looked human, but nothing like this. Let's take it. No one will notice it's missing. It's too pretty to leave in here! We can always put it back if someone notices it's missing."

He knew this wasn't good. As soon as they got him into the light, they would start to see that something was amiss. And he had no time to debate their innocence or guilt in his being here. As it was, they were simply in his way. Who knew when this door would be open again? If he was to live through hell, he would at least spend it in a room that didn't make him so painfully aware of his existence as one of these weak, pathetic beings.

"How will we lift him and get him out of here without anyone noticing?" one of the women said. She sat him up, and he let her guide his weight as though he had no control over his body. He slumped forward into her arms, her head on his shoulder. She then stopped, frozen with him pressed against her. He knew what she felt. She felt his chest rising against hers. Perhaps the dull thud of his heart. There was no use pretending anymore.

His hand suddenly rose and roughly grabbed her hair, startling her into a motionless state of fear. He slowly lifted his head and stared into her terrified eyes.

"I… am not… your plaything," he whispered harshly.

She didn't scream when he plunged a blade into her stomach. Perhaps it hurt too much and the shock was too overwhelming. Or perhaps the simple shock of him moving had frightened her beyond belief. He gave it little thought, because he cared so little. He slowly looked up at her friend, who stood paralyzed behind her. She looked at the door, and then at him as her friend slumped sideways and fell to the floor. And she decided to run.

But although he was weak and powerless, he still had memories of his skills. She fell to the floor before she could reach the door, a throwing knife through her back. His aim needed work. At least he hit the target.

The girl on the floor with the knife through her stomach started to scream in terror. It hurt his ears. It was an ugly sound. An ugly, imperfect, human sound. He pulled another dagger from the wall, of the many that had been disposed of in this room. She shrieked again, and it went straight through her eye, silencing her. He really didn't like doing that. She did have pretty eyes. For that alone she would have been a good model for him. But it all came back to the fact that she was in his way. He stepped over her dead body and took the ring of keys from her friend's hand. She, too, was still moving. But at least she was silent aside from the occasional whimper. He stepped over her and walked out the door, locking them inside with the keys.

The hallway was beautiful and warm and well decorated. But the light hurt his imperfect eyes, and he resented being so hungry and thirsty and tired. There were mirrors that made the hallways look so much larger than they were. They reflected the gold and stained glass windows and finery of the room. But standing in front of that finery, centered in the mirror, was him. He looked at his face, pale and starved. Ugly. His hair was dirty and oily and ragged. Disgusting. His body was weak and too thin and too soft. Imperfect. His eyes no longer had their shine, his teeth were not perfectly white, his red hair no longer looked like silken fire. And he was covered with sticky blood, able to breath it's scent.

Wincing at his appearance, he angrily punched the mirror, shattering it into millions of shards and pieces.

As he started to wander through the palace he knew that he would have to start again. He would have to once again leave this cursed flesh behind and become a perfect being again. Once again his soul would have to leave this weak, fleshy shell and enter a perfect artificial one.

He would once again become Sasori of the Red Sand.

* * *

Kankurou was wandering through the palace alone. He was sick of trying to reason with these people. All he could get out of the inhabitants of this place was that he couldn't leave and couldn't contact the outside world. Even when he could leave his room he only had access to certain parts of the palace, like a rat caught in a maze. And the structure was flawless. No passages to crawl through, no weaknesses in the walls, nothing breakable to escape from. He had even tried throwing a chair through several windows. The chair practically bounced off and came crashing to the floor again. The window was fine. The chair was not.

So today he was going to take a day off of trying to escape and he'd just try to sort through his thoughts.

His lovely attendants were in his room, setting up a meal for him and changing his sheets and making him tea. There was a knock on the door. One of the beautiful women went to open it.

"Oh, hello," she said to the young man standing outside. He was wearing one of several uniforms that the male attendants for Hinata wore. His button down shirt, pants, and shiny shoes were all a flawless shade of black. The clothes looked a bit too big and disheveled, as though hastily put on. But she couldn't remember ever seeing this particular boy before. His hair was an odd shade of red.

"Was there something you needed? Aren't you supposed to be attending to Hinata?" she asked.

"I need a little help with something," he responded. "You see, my keys appear to be defective. They don't work in all of the doors. I need to borrow yours."

"Defective?" the woman said. "But that impossib--"

To the other women, it sounded as though she had been pulled outside. There was a loud crack, like bones breaking. Suddenly, something was pushed into the room. It was the woman, her neck broken. The other ladies screamed as her head rolled unnaturally to the side.

"Where is Kankurou?" the young man asked as he stepped inside the room.

"We don't know!" one girl said, her voice quivering.

The small group of women watched as his eyes traced over their bodies, taking in every curve, every bend, and every measurement. He walked closer to them, his eyes holding nothing. No fear, no regret. He shut the door behind him, and drew daggers from his sleeves. He knew it would take a while.

Some time later, Kankurou was walking down the hall to get back to the room when he heard what sounded like struggling and whimpering from inside. He hesitated, but then flung the door open, more curious than fearful.

The room was no longer lavish and beautiful looking. And now, instead of gold, it was bathed in red. Body parts littered the floors. Eyes, fingers, and different shades of hair sat in neat little piles, as though ready to be fitted onto crude dolls. Intestines and various organs littered the floors, and in some areas the ceiling.

And standing there, waiting for him with blood all over him was a very familiar face. Kankurou couldn't help but stare.

"Hello again," Sasori said, with a smile. There was blood on his face. "Aren't you going to greet your old puppet?"

"Sasori…" Kankurou said, eyes wide. "How--?"

"I was hoping you could tell me how I came to be this frail human again," Sasori said bitterly. "My perfect body, that perfect body of an artificial puppet… what have you done with it? It took me forever to get it just right…." He started to advance on Kankurou slowly, daggers in hand.

Kankurou backed against a wall slowly as Sasori came forward, staring at him with a mix of fear and confusion. Sasori stopped in front of him and searched his face.

"I see," he said, lowering his weapons. "You really don't know."

Sasori turned, stepping over bodies, and sat in a chair at the splendid dining table. He blinked and reached for a piece of bread, devouring it. He then took a glass of water and gulped it down, not taking a breath until it was drained.

"You must excuse me," he said, taking a contented breath. "I haven't eaten in years."

Kankurou slowly unglued himself from the wall and walked over to the table, sitting across from Sasori, trying to ignore the dead bodies around him. Kankurou had considered that he might need to take lives to escape, but nothing like this. From what he could see, these women had been innocent. Brainwashed, but innocent.

"Eat as much as you want," Kankurou said.

"Thank you," Sasori said politely, as though he hadn't just slaughtered an entire room of people.

Kankurou could only stare. Sasori had been human decades ago, but then affixed his mind and soul into a puppet, creating a living work of art that needed no food, sleep, or sunlight. Sasori had craved perfection and hated being tied to and led by human desires or desires of his flesh. But years ago he had been damaged in a fight and "killed," becoming nothing more than a hollow, soulless puppet. Or so it was thought. Kankurou had retrieved the body and used it as one of his combat puppets. It had been damaged and re-damaged several times since then. And each time Kankurou repaired it.

Sasori sat eating more slowly now, chewing carefully as though taking in the sensations of taste again. His body was still that of a boy in his mid to late teens. He glanced up through his long lashes at Kankurou's confused look.

"Eat," Sasori said. "We won't get answers here, and you need strength. I'm sorry for taking so much food, but please, eat."

Kankurou glanced around the room at the massacred bodies. Sasori was so polite, and yet… so dangerous. And that was the scary part. Sasori was a cold-hearted killer and felt so little in the way of passion and emotion. And that was dangerous. He didn't fight for pride, or ego, or to protect anyone or anything. He would simply kill you if you were an obstacle to whatever goal he wanted, and he would feel no remorse or guilt, because to him it was simply logical. Kankurou knew this all too well, because Sasori had almost killed him once. He knew that Sasori would remember, but because he never felt strong emotions for his actions, to him it was already in the past. Kankurou could only take comfort in the fact that Sasori wouldn't feel disappointment for having failed to kill him after poisoning him and leaving him to die in the desert. No disappointment… but no remorse either.

"Why did you come for me?" Kankurou asked.

"I have need of you. I can't make it out on my own as I am." He set the wine glass down delicately. "You will help me escape." He wasn't asking.

"There is someone we have to get before we go," Kankurou said.

"Who?"

"Her name is Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga."

"Hyuuga?" Sasori rose a brow. "Someone from Konoha?"

"Yes."

The red-head frowned, but nodded once.

"Do I even want to know where you got those clothes?" Kankurou asked warily.

"I took them off of someone in the hallway," Sasori said matter-of-factly. "And then slit his throat. He won't be looking for them."

Kankurou swallowed nervously, deciding to drain his own glass of wine. He was hoping it would soothe his nerves. He was already calculating. He didn't know Sasori's level of skill with hand to hand combat or weapons. Neither of them could use their chakra in this place, so they couldn't use their skills as puppet masters. So how would Kankurou fight back if he would have to defend himself or Hinata against Sasori? Sasori's body was human now. Would that make a difference? Was he has weak has he looked now, too thin, too tired, and too starved to be a danger to them?

Kankurou glanced around at the dead bodies. Yes, Sasori was definitely still a threat. Chakra or no chakra.

The red-head suddenly shot up from his chair. "Disgusting," he murmured. "This sweat, and the feel of blood on my skin. The stench of these bodies…. I feel filthy just being here."

One of the bodies near Kankurou gave a sudden twitch, even in death. "Okay, let's go," Kankurou said without hesitation.

* * *

A handsome young attendant walked into the large cavernous crystal room, approaching the pillar of light. He made his way to the platform and looked down at Hinata. Her eyes were open, but she couldn't see him. She was lost in her own mind now. They all got like this after a time. But it hadn't taken long for her.

"I know you're being nourished by divine power," he whispered to her motionless form. "But if you want actual food, I brought you something."

He placed a bowl of stew next to the platform, careful not to step into the pillar of light with her. He knew that if she went for it, it was because her body wanted it more than her mind. And sure enough, she twitched, her head turning towards the food. With a vacant stare she slowly got onto her hands and knees, slowly crawling to the bowl. With a shaking hand she pulled the bowl towards her. The attendant watched as she leaned down and lapped it up like a hungry cat. He watched with fascination as her long black hair fell around her face and body.

When she had her fill, she slowly laid down on the platform again, staring up towards the ceiling. If only that pillar of light wasn't between them. What he wouldn't give for that.

He sighed, leaning down to pick up the bowl. But when he knelt down to pick it up, he saw a reflection of red there. Unsure of what he was seeing, he turned around.

He didn't live long enough to see what it was.

Sasori gave his knife a twist and pulled it out. The boy was dead before he hit the ground.

"Do you have to keep doing that?!" Kankuro asked.

"Is Suna so docile now that you no longer know how to get your hands dirty?" Sasori asked. "Get the girl and let's go. I want to leave now. I hate waiting when I don't have to."

Kankuro groaned and quickly grabbed Hinata's wrist, pulling enough of her away from the light to pick her up. Suddenly the entire room went dark. Sasori looked mildly impressed when Kankurou gave him a candle he had brought along. Sasori lit it to guide the way.

"This happened last time they pulled someone out of there," Kankurou explained. "What I want to know is how you got past all of those doors."

"The codes and mechanics on the locks were far too basic," Sasori said, a hint of boredom in his voice.

The two made their way out of the room and back through the hallways they had entered from, Kankurou carrying a very dazed and confused Hinata.

"Na… Naruto?" Hinata muttered. "Home… father…. Strongest…….. Naruto…. Please take… back…."

"Get her to stop babbling," Sasori hissed. He then ran into a wall. "Shit," he said lowly. He then started muttering a string of insults towards his "imperfect" human body. But at least he was a little more careful about shining the candle forward.

"Where the hell are we going?!" Kankurou whispered harshly in the darkness.

"Take… back…" Hinata said again, more loudly. Her eyes were still unfocused.

"We'll find a way to escape, or we'll make people tell us," Sasori said. "Either way, I'm not spending another moment in this body if I don't have to."

"You've been considered dead for years now," Kankurou said. "Are you really going to play the villain again?"

"I wasn't playing at anything," Sasori said calmly. "Regardless of my future, I refuse to spend it like this. This flawed, ever-dying, fragile shell."

"Naruto!" Hinata yelled.

"Either you shut her up or I'll shut her up," Sasori said with a threat in his voice.

Kankurou placed a hand over Hinata's mouth, not to please Sasori, but because he heard voices. No… they were screams. Blood-chilling, horrified screams. It send a chill sliding down Kankurou's spine. Sasori seemed only mildly interested.

They made their way to a window in a deserted hallway and looked outside. They could see dozens of people below in dwellings far below them, spilling out of their houses, screaming and crying. Some people fell to the ground, their bodies limp. Kankurou's hand fell away from Hinata's face as he watched the chaos below. A fog slowly rolled in until they couldn't see what was going on anymore.

"Murderers," Hinata said in a strained breath. "Murderers!" she screamed. She was pushing against Kankurou now, trying to get away. "Take me back!" she yelled shrilly. "TAKE ME BACK NOW!"

"Hinata!" Kankurou growled at her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her once firmly. "You see this guy right here?!" Sasori stared blankly and gave a slight wave. "If you don't' shut up now," Kankurou continued, "He'll kill you!"

Hinata stared at him for a long moment, then her eyes seemed to focus slowly. She blinked a couple times, as though drifting into sleep before she seemed a little more aware. "Kankurou…?" she said weakly. "Where are we?"

"Hinata, can you use Byakugan?" Kankurou asked. "We're still trapped in the palace. We need a way out."

Hinata winced as though her eyes were straining, then shook her head slowly. "Not enough chakra…. It's power… is fading from… me…."

Sasori stiffened and inhaled sharply, as though something had struck him in the back.

"What is it?" Kankurou asked.

"Hurts…" Sasori gasped. He held up a shaking hand, and to their horror it was stiff and lifeless… as though turning into wood. He grit his teeth and fell to his knees, hugging himself and breathing heavily. Kankurou released Hinata and knelt in front of him, trying to figure out what was wrong. He heard a slight shuffle and realized that Hinata was now kneeling with them also.

"I'll get you guys out of here," Kankurou said, "Don't worry."

Hinata whispered something to herself very softly. Her hand then shot forward, grabbing a dagger from Sasori's belt. She held it up at Kankurou's throat, then started to back away from them.

"Hinata?!" Kankurou blinked, standing up slowly. "What the hell are you doing?! Pull yourself together."

"I have to go back," Hinata said, her voice shaking. "They need me. I have to go back to the light!"

"Listen to yourself," Kankurou said, trying to calm her, holding his hands up. "You are a ninja, and you were kidnapped from home. It is your duty to return to Konoha. Think of people back home."

She shook her head frantically, her eyes crazed. "No! You don't understand, because you haven't felt it! I have to go back!"

Kankurou took a slow step towards her. "Hinata…."

"Don't come closer!" Hinata shrieked. "You took me away! That… it was everything to me! And you took me away! Everything I ever wanted! This is nothing!"

"We have to leave her!" Sasori said in a strained voice, breathing hard. "Just talking nonsense."

Hinata's hands were shaking, and her eyes were darting between each of them. She suddenly backed against a wall and pulled a heavy picture from it. Kankurou only watched, not understanding. But then, she threw it at the nearest window. It shattered, rainbow glass raining down outside.

"How did you do that?!" Kankurou blinked. "I tried on just about any window I could find--"

"Before or after the power went out?" Sasori asked hoarsely.

"…Damn.…" Kankurou groaned.

"Get out!" Hinata demanded. "Get out and don't come back! It's torture being away…. You can't understand. Just get out!"

Kankurou gave her a long hard look before moving quickly to Sasori, pulling one of his arms over his shoulders. "We're jumping," he told Sasori.

"Without chakra to manage our bodies we'll die with the first impact," Sasori reminded him.

"Not if we're careful," Kankurou said.

He stepped onto a chair, then on to an elaborate table. He glanced back for Hinata, but she was gone. Ignoring some of the glass that remained sharp in the frame he pulled Sasori up and out with him, onto the sloping roof. The cold air hit them like cold, sharp metal against their skin. The wind was picking up, threatening to blow them off of the roof, which was so far from the ground they could barely see it through the fog below.

Whatever was happening to Sasori he was getting worse. He was losing his balance on the slippery roof, threatening to send them both toppling down.

"Just drop me," Sasori coughed. "It's useless for both of us to die like this. An inefficient waste of energy."

"No," Kankurou said flatly as he looked around for a place to lower them.

"I poisoned you and left you for dead and kidnapped your brother," Sasori said hoarsely. "Just get it over with and drop me."

"I'm not saying you don't deserve it," Kankurou rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying I'm not going to actually _do_ it."

Sasori made a slight sound that sounded like a chuckle. Kankurou was glad he had something that resembled a sense of humor.

"Who or what is that?" Sasori asked, his body shaking with pain. Kankurou glanced back to the direction he was looking. Inside the dark palace they could barely make out a few shadowy figures staring at them from the broken window. But something wasn't normal about them. They twitched oddly, and the wind carried their anguished moans through the windows. Bloody, rotting arms slowly reached through the windows. Whoever they were, they were clawing their way outside.

"I didn't really factor in zombies when I was figuring out how to get down," Kankurou said.

"This teaches you to be prepared for anything now doesn't it?" Sasori smirked through his pain.

Suddenly one of the bloody figures burst through the window, landing on the roof not far from them. But it didn't have the coordination Kankurou did, and it came sliding down the roof straight at them. Kankurou barely dodged it as it clawed and scratched passed them, falling over the edge of the palace and leaving behind an echoing scream before it hit the ground. But this didn't discourage the other rotting bodies who followed it. Kankurou knew he couldn't dodge all of them, but he would try. The palace seemed dull and broken and fragile now, without light or color. And the roof shuddered with weight as the bloody creatures slid down the roof at them, snarling and hissing.

Kankurou dodged most of them, but Sasori's weight shifted as another spike of pain shot through him. And it was just enough to knock them off balance as the last rotting figure hit them head on, knocking all of them into the foggy darkness below. Kankurou had no time to catch his breath. Somewhere on the way down he lost his grip on Sasori, and they were both tumbling down to the ground alone, surrounded by the animalistic screeches of the creatures who fell all around them.

There was no way to tell when they'd hit the ground. Kankurou closed his eyes and waited for death, but light flashed on the other side of his eyelids. His eyes snapped open to see light spreading all around them, hurting his eyes after being surrounded by blackness. The palace and the kingdom around it was lighting up again. And in the second it took for Kankurou to realize it was unfortunate that he could probably see the ground coming now, he felt something catch him. He crashed down through a tree… soft, springy branches cushioning his fall bit by bit until he finally slammed against the ground. He was bruised and scratched, but alive.

"Get up!" he heard Sasori yell at him. The red-head looked completely fit and able again. He had the same scratches Kankurou did. The tree had caught him also. Kankurou sprang up to his feet and they ran away from the palace as fast as they could without chakra to power their muscles to inhuman speeds.

Kankurou glanced behind him for just a moment. Scattered around the tree were the palace attendants, not bloody, rotting, animalistic creatures. But Kankurou was sure that they had been the same creatures that cased them down the roof. They had all fallen to their deaths. They were beautiful again. Beautiful, but broken.

* * *

Yes, I miss Gaara too. Don't worry, we'll see him soon. ^.^ Please review!

* * *


	7. The Illusions

**Amargosa Sun: The Illusions**

Lee looked over to see Neji smiling just slightly to himself. They sat waiting for their fish to roast, impaled on sticks in the large fire. They were more worried about keeping warm than being seen. The reality was that they really had no idea how long the trip would take. But Neji was seeing more than enough landmarks to tell him they were headed in the right direction. It was as though he received memories of the route even though he had never used it. And to think all of it came to him in just seconds when he was with Gaara and the hourglass. He had consulted the map several times, and they had been traveling for nearly a week.

Tenten was the first to get worn out during the journey, getting a little slower day by day near the end of the week. Neji and Lee gave her the first of the fish they caught that day so she could eat and sleep early. Lee was physically incredibly powerful, but his chakra efficiency was far below average. He would be the next to get tired. They needed chakra to move as fast as they did, hit as hard as they did, jump as high as they did, and perform many of the techniques they did. Chakra was no substitute for skill. It was simply life energy, and in people who were ninja it was extremely strong. If their chakra was diminished, they would be like normal civilians without superhuman abilities. Neji was not only physically strong and skilled, he could use his chakra more effectively than anyone. He would be the last to feel drained from this journey by far.

"So who is she?" Lee said softly, trying not to wake Tenten.

"Hm?" Neji looked up, raising his brows curiously. "Who?"

"Whoever put that smile on your face," Lee grinned. "It was that girl from the tea shop in Suna wasn't it? She was staring at you pretty hard."

"No," Neji chuckled. "Definitely not her."

"Then what is it?" Lee smiled.

"Can't I just smile?" Neji asked, pulling a fish from the fire and letting it cool on its stick.

"Not that way," Lee said, taking a fish and taking a bite right away. He burned his tongue, but continued to eat, too hungry to care.

Neji smirked. "It's definitely not a girl."

Lee nodded and shrugged with a smile. He picked up another fish and started to eat a little more slowly. Neji was thankful that, unlike Tenten, Lee knew when to drop something until Neji was ready to tell him. He smiled and took out a map and notes that he had brought from Suna.

"The forest is really quiet here," Lee said, looking around at the darkness beyond their campfire. "The animals are probably too busy freezing to death to make any noise." He tightened his winter coat around his body and shivered. He then noticed that Neji was still wearing his normal uniform as he looked through the maps.

"Yeah," Neji said absently. "It's a little chilly."

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Neji flashed him a smile before looking back at the map. "Serves you two right for making fun of me in the desert. I hope it starts snowing."

Lee groaned and finished eating. He then got into a very warm insulated sleeping bag. "Are we there yet?" he asked jokingly.

"I wish I knew," Neji sighed.

"As long as it doesn't snow…" Lee said, nodding off slowly. "That's all I'm worried about…." A few minutes later he was snoring softly, just as Tenten was.

Neji glanced at the two for a moment before tending to the fire, making sure it would keep them warm as they slept. He would never take for granted how much trust and faith they put in him. And he trusted them with his life as well. These two were his best friends, and he didn't now what he'd do without them. Life would be lonely without them. Even something as simple as this forest, which seemed cozy and serene, would be an eerie nightmare without them.

He sighed. He wanted to keep his mind on his work and off of Gaara, but any thoughts of loneliness eventually led to him. And there was no use lying to himself or behaving as though he didn't know himself. He didn't meditate for hours a week not to know himself. He knew what he was feeling the very night he sat by Gaara's bedside as he slept. He knew he had feelings for Gaara, but for obvious reasons, it would remain simple and secretive infatuation. There was no use considering possibilities when there was no future.

At least, that was what he told himself, because it helped keep certain thoughts away. Thoughts he let slip into his mind while he was sitting by Gaara's bedside. Thoughts that started as innocent flashes when he saw Gaara's slightly parted lips and as he slept soundly. Thoughts that grew more curious as Gaara's nightshirt slid open, revealing a hint of his smooth chest. Thoughts that turned dangerous when Gaara rolled onto his back, his wrists above his head, his shirt parting lower, and a deep sigh of contentment passing through his lips. Neji had to leave as quickly and silently as he could before thought turned into action. He wouldn't keep himself in a situation that would lead to something dishonorable.

Now he was sitting in the forest, thinking of him again despite his efforts.

He finished off a few more fish before slipping into his sleeping bag and settling into it. His body went from the delightful chill of the air into a relaxed warmth. He closed his eyes and drifted off slowly into sleep.

* * *

Gaara was packing his things to leave when Temari walked into his room.

"Gaara…" she said softly. "You can't just leave! The village needs you!"

He turned around and looked at her, his eyes looking almost as tired as they had years ago when he couldn't sleep.

"This village doesn't need its leader to be insane," Gaara said, turning back to his supplies. "And that's exactly what that woman will make me if I don't go."

"They are just dreams Gaara," Temari insisted. "You're having these dreams because you're worried about all of them."

"No," Gaara said, spinning around again. "These dreams are too real. And they come every night. If I don't do something, then people will suffer. Including people I care about."

"You don't have any proof!" Temari exclaimed. "I can't just let you leave the village based on dreams! You're the most powerful person in this village. We need you here!"

"Temari," Gaara sighed, putting his things down. "I love you."

Temari fell silent, her mouth nearly falling open.

"I love you, and I love Kankurou," he said, looking down sadly. "Father and mother despised me. Yashamaru and the people of this village hated me when I was younger. But you… you and Kankurou always cared. You feared me, but you cared. When I do something for the village, no matter how much the people of Suna care about it or need me, I still want to know _you_ are proud of me. We are supposed to keep our work from getting too personal as ninja. We're not supposed to let feelings get in the way. But--" he lifted his hand to the left side of his forehead where the kanji for the word 'love' had been marked into his skin. "--there is very little I would care about if I lost the two of you. And there would be no end to the pain if I lost my friends. For once in my life, I have my family and my friends and I'm happy. I want to protect my village and I love my people, but it can't match the love I have for you. I need you to understand what it means for me to think I could lose almost everyone I care about. That's why I need you here safe, watching the village while I go to get them back. I need you to trust me."

Temari looked at him for a long time before tears started to fall down her cheeks. "But what about me…?" she asked. "If you go I could lose you too…."

Gaara walked up to her and hugged her. "I'll fix everything, and I'll bring them back," he said. "I promise."

Temari hugged him back and nodded. "What do I tell everyone after you leave?"

Gaara pulled away slowly and closed his eyes in thought. "Tell them… The Kazekage is sick, and wishes not to be disturbed." He smiled slightly.

"You want me to lie?" Temari smirked, wiping her tears away.

"I want you to be creative," he smiled, walking back to his supplies. He held up the hourglass. "I'll be taking this with me."

"Gaara!"

"Just in case," he said. "Only as a last resort."

Temari sighed and nodded. "When are you leaving?"

"Very early in the morning, before the sun rises so I can get out under the cover of dark," he said. "Maybe if I start my journey the woman in my dreams will let me sleep," he sighed.

"I can't believe you're going alone…" Temari shook her head.

"Don't worry," he smiled reassuringly. "I'm the Kazekage."

Temari smiled and shook her head. She helped him back and sat with him until it was time for him to leave.

Gaara had, of course, strengthened the village and saw over the details of its security himself. So it was no surprise that he had to inform at least a few of his most trusted ninja that he was leaving the village for a very important mission. It might have taken forever to get out otherwise. He needed them to take over for other guards and watchmen who might let it slip that he left.

He made sure that security was tight enough that even he couldn't sneak in or out, especially after the Akatsuki attacked the village years ago. Now he'd have to strengthen its defenses to try to combat people who could alter time. He wasn't looking forward to figuring that out….

After a great deal of sneaking around, he finally made it out. And once outside Suna's walls he created a small sandstorm to shield the fact that was he was leaving. He'd have to walk like this for some time. He often had ninja stationed throughout the desert surrounding the village.

He couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was sneaking away from his own defenses; breaking rules that he had put into place and behaving like a mischievous child sneaking out of his bedroom window. And when he was far enough he started to run at top speed, his sand gourd, almost as big as he was and much more heavy, strapped to his back. It hindered his speed a great deal, but he was used to it. So used to it that few people could keep up with him even with it on. Small packs of supplies were strapped around the middle of the gourd, secured tightly. And in a pocket of his blood-red uniform the fragile hourglass was secured. It felt warm in his clothing, and he heard a soft whisper from the sand inside.

"I'm coming to help," Gaara said. "I'll stop the cycle of pain. Just protect my friends."

He heard another whisper, and then the air around him changed. The resonant sounds of the desert disappeared, and he knew that he was moving faster than the normal flow of time would allow. But his body didn't feel drained. Instead he felt completely in tune with the hourglass as he ran through the desert. He pictured the frightening, bloody woman he had seen in his dreams, but he wasn't afraid of her anymore.

"Whoever you are," Gaara said, "Thank you."

* * *

Team Gai traveled for two more days, and they found that the paths they had to take were becoming more and more specific. Neji would see landmarks that would lead them to narrow paths through forests, or under waterfalls to hidden paths, or through maze-like caverns and rocky paths through the mountains that they would have been stuck in for ages if not for Neji's Byakugan allowing him to see through anything and over long distances. Tenten's pace was slowing, and Lee was no longer as swift as he was when they started, but Neji was patient as always. They always caught enough food, but he was sure to eat last just to make sure they would have enough to keep their spirits and their energy up. He also stayed up the longest to tend to the fire, look over his maps, and scanning the area with his powerful vision. He was also the most likely to rise first in the morning, dragging Lee and Tenten from their warm sleeping bags so they could start another day.

Neji couldn't imagine how people who weren't ninja felt when traveling. Having to use wagons and horses, or having to carry tons of supplies to survive instead of easily catching food. Normal people also moved much more slowly without knowing how to use their chakra. They also grew tired very easily. Neji always imagined that living like that would be utter torture. He felt as free as a bird when he could run as fast as the wind and leap easily through the trees.

Something flickered in front of him and he blinked and came to a quick halt, sliding through the grass for a few feet. Lee stopped and slid next to him. Tenten, on the other hand, crashed into them and groaned, exhausted.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice weary.

"I'm not sure," Neji said, tilting his head curiously. He stepped off of the path they were on and he headed straight towards a cliff on the mountainside. Lee and Tenten followed and looked over. The cliff they were standing on was very high, and below them was a mass of frosty evergreen trees and an icy-looking blue lake.

"It's beautiful!" Tenten smiled.

Neji frowned, picked up a rock, and tossed it down towards the trees below. Lee watched him throw it, but he didn't see it fall. Blinking, he picked up another rock and throw it after Neji's. Again, they didn't see it fall. It seemed to disappear midair.

"Am I seeing things?" Lee asked.

"No," Neji said. "This view isn't real. It's all an illusion."

To Lee's and Tenten's horror, he stepped off of the cliff. But a second later he disappeared before their eyes. He stepped back in time to see them with their eyes wide and jaws dropped. He held up the two stones. "It would appear that someone is trying to keep us out," he said. "I don't know how they are creating this illusion, but the chakra is coming directly from the ground to create it. It's like a wall of pure illusion. When I stepped onto the other side, there was a path. That's the way I think we should head."

"Finally," Lee stretched, his bright smile still on his face. "Something is happening."

Neji took out several maps he had been given. All of them indicated that there should be a cliff here. That meant that the illusion had fooled whoever had come here to study the area. Neji relaxed his eyes, and without his Byakugan, even with his heightened senses for chakra he couldn't detect the illusion without the use of his bloodline ability. He sighed, putting the maps and notes away. From now on they couldn't help him. He'd have to use what he could remember from what the hourglass had shown him.

"Let's move," he said. They started running again, dashing through the wall of illusion to find that there was no cliff at all. The ground was just as level as it had been on the previous path. They slowed their pace just gradually, but still moved at an incredible speed. The landscape whipped past them, ice crystals sparkling on pale green grass and needles. Neji was in the lead, and Lee and Tenten hung back, all of them in a row with enough distance between them to quickly and easily handle enough dangers that might arise from any side.

But it wasn't long into their journey before Neji slowed to a stop again. But it wasn't the graceful stop he had made before. And it made Tenten's train wreck from before look positively skillful. Neji lost his footing and his balance on his way down after leaping over a ditch. In mid-air he suddenly felt drained of all energy, and his Byakugan ability faded from lack of chakra. Neji came crashing to the ground, his body unable to cushion his impact as it normally did. Lee and Tenten came stumbling after him, all of them landing on top of each other in a heap. None of them stood at first, all of them grumbling in pain.

"What the hell just happened?!" Tenten finally exclaimed.

"I'm tired already!" Lee exclaimed. "I've never been this tired during a mission where we haven't even done anything yet!"

"Can you guys… get off…?" Neji muttered, flattened under both of them.

"Actually… we can't," Lee said in a strained voice.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, slowly trying to sit up. Then slowly trying to stand.

"Our chakra just suddenly drained," Neji said. "Our bodies should recover from the shock soon, but we'll have to move at a normal pace until we can regain our full strength."

"A normal pace?!" Tenten gasped. "You mean like… normal civilian pace?! That'll take forever!"

"This must be some sort of security system," Lee said, trying to keep his balance as he stood. "When do you think we can regain our chakra, Neji?"

Neji looked at his hands, even though he couldn't use Byakugan to see inside of himself to his chakra system. He closed his eyes and took a deep, meditative breath. He was very sensitive to the flow of chakra, more than any other ninja. And now, he could only feel a constant pull…. A constant drain on his body. "At this rate it won't regenerate while we're here," he said, opening his white eyes. "It looks like we can maintain enough to stay alive, but unfortunately, we can't move like ninja, or use our chakra-based abilities."

"What do we do without our abilities?" Tenten asked. "We might be sitting ducks for whatever is ahead."

"We continue our mission," Neji said confidently. "We came all this way. And besides, from what we can tell, we can get Hinata and Kankurou out past the borders of this territory, and we should return to normal."

Neji straightened up and started to walk down the path. He found the pace somewhat aggravating, but pressed on to keep the team's morale high. They looked like a group going for a picnic, walking leisurely through the forest. Of course, it was much harder this way, having to climb over logs and through thick brush and vines. They were getting more scratches and bruises over the course of an hour than they had in the past week.

"Are we close?" Tenten asked, her mood growing sour.

"How am I supposed to know without my Byakugan?" Neji responded calmly. "Before we lost our abilities I saw man-made structures far off in the distance to the north. We'll keep heading that way."

They finally made their way out of the forest, much to their relief. They were brushing themselves off and pulling needles and thorns from their clothes as they walked on the level path. Slowly, they felt their strength and chakra returning.

"I'm feeling better!" Lee smiled.

"There is a reason for that," Neji sighed, frustrated. He pointed ahead to the ditch they had crossed hours ago. "We went in a circle."

"What?!" Tenten blurted out. She flopped onto the ground and rested there.

"But the path didn't loop around," Lee said. "We were headed in one direction."

"There must be more security in place than we thought," Neji said, turning back to the line of trees behind them. "And without our abilities we didn't see when we got caught in an illusion that led us back to where we started." Neji shut his eyes and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension there. "Only rookies fall for something like that," he chuckled.

"We're worse than rookies without our chakra," Tenten sighed. "Just three people bumbling through a forest with compasses and senses that don't matter in there. The illusion even altered our perception of the sun."

"What do we do now?" Lee asked.

"Set up camp," Neji said calmly. "We'll set it up on the other side of the wall of illusions so we can generate more chakra as we sleep and have more energy to find a way through this illusion tomorrow."

Lee and Tenten didn't need to be told twice. They quickly headed away from the area with illusions, past the wall of illusions that made it look like there was a drop from a high cliff, and back into a patch of trees on one of their previous paths. They set up camp, but this time Neji stayed up to take a long watch. Since they were on the opposite side of the wall of illusions he could eventually use his Byakugan to scan far into the distance. When it appeared that they were safe, he went to sleep.

* * *

"Wake up," a gentle voice whispered in his ear. "Wake up, my love."

Neji opened his eyes slowly, a euphoric feeling flowing through his entire body. Soft hands were pushing his dark hair away from his face. There was a beautiful young woman there with long white hair the color of snow. Her eyes were a shining ice blue that emitted a faint glow, and her robes matched the color of her eyes. He turned his head to the side to look for Lee and Tenten, but he wasn't at the campsite anymore. He was in a large white ballroom, but it was filled with a thick fog. He couldn't see past the two of them. Snowflakes seemed to fall from the ceiling itself.

"It's been so long," she whispered.

She slowly leaned down to kiss him, but he regained his senses fast enough to gently pace his hands on her shoulders. She followed his lead and sat back as he sat up to face her.

"Where am I?" he asked, standing up and looking around, seeing no break in the thick fog.

"Do you not recognize me?" she asked softly.

"We've never met," he turned to look at her. "I'd remember you."

"But I can feel you," she said, placing a hand over his heart. "It's faint, but I can feel you. I know you, and you know me."

Neji gently took her hand from his chest and held it in both of his, meeting her eyes. "I'm not the person you're looking for," he said kindly. "And whoever you're looking for couldn't have forgotten you, you can be assured of that."

She stared into his eyes for a long time, her hand held between his. She was as cold as the snow itself. She looked down at his hands and placed her other cold hand on top of them. "So warm…" she said, her voice as clear as a bell. "I thought… I had found him. For a brief moment… I was so happy."

"I'm sorry," Neji said gently. "Is there anything I can do?"

She met his eyes again, her icy eyes very sad. "You're such a kind one," she said in her bell-like voice, placing one of her cold hands against his warm cheek. "Your thoughts, your heart, and your intentions… all so clear and good. I thought you must for sure be him." She slid her hands away and looked to the distant fog, avoiding his eyes. "Why have you come?"

Neji looked up as snowflakes fell on his face from the deep fog above. "I still don't know where I am, or how I came to be here."

"You are in my hell," she said softly. "I cannot leave. They will not let me. You must leave this place and never return."

"I don't understand," Neji said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me how to help you. I will help you find peace. Let me try. We can put you to rest, and you can leave behind all that hurts you."

"Oh dear one," she said softly. "You are so very kind, but I am not a wandering spirit. I am not dead. I am not so lucky."

Neji didn't understand. He was too aware for this to be a dream. And with her cold body, the atmosphere, and the fact that she considered this her own hell, he thought she must have been a wandering spirit. He felt a little silly now. But it seemed to be the most straight-forward answer based on the information he had.

"They hurt me more and more," she whispered, as if afraid of getting caught. "If I give them what they want they keep me alive to wait for him."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Who? Who is hurting you?"

"No," she shook her head. "I mustn't say."

He gently, but firmly turned her to face him. "Tell me who is doing this to you," he said. "I'll do what I can."

"You can't save me," she said. "Not without the power to beat them. You lack the power and would surely die if you faced them."

"I'm stronger than I look," he said. "Let me help you."

"It is not a matter of strength," she said. "You can only move forward, your pace never changing in the flow of your existence. Only those who can break the flow can overcome the evil ones. As you are, you would die. And I cannot let one so good die. Not when so many as evil as them exist."

"I still don't understand," Neji said, desperately wanting to help her. She looked so sad and lonely.

Lonely…. Just like….

She noticed his attention went elsewhere, and she quickly put her hand over his heart again. Her cold touch brought him back from his thoughts, but he realized she was looking at him with an expression of surprise.

"What is it?" he asked gently. "What's wrong?"

"You know the sandman," she said, her chiming voice sounding more lively now. "Your thoughts were of him."

Neji blinked. "You mean Gaara?"

She tilted her head and lifted a finger to the left side of his forehead. He felt almost naked without his forehead protector on, but he let her brush his hair aside and touch the smooth skin there. Her finger traced lines that formed the character for the word 'love.' Neji smiled at her when she lowered her hand.

"Yes, I know him," he said.

Her eyes lit up. "He is coming," she said. "Are you here to aid him? Will you help him free me?"

Neji tried to make sense of what she was saying, but there was just too much he couldn't understand. "I would help free you if I knew how," he said.

She didn't smile, but she looked as though she had hope for something now. Hope that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"What did you mean when you said, 'He's coming'?" Neji asked. He held his hands up to indicate the foggy room. "Do you mean to this place?"

"He is with me," she said. "And soon, with you."

Neji opened his mouth to ask more, but he felt as though his entire body was quaking. The beautiful woman faded away like snowflakes blown into the wind. The tremors continued through his body as the room fading into nothingness.

He blinked a few times as his surroundings started to focus into something else. It was a moment before he realized he was looking up at two concerned faces. Lee and Tenten were hovering above him. Tenten was shaking him silly.

"Stop… shaking… my brains out…" he groaned.

"Neji!" Tenten exhaled in relief. "We have been trying to wake you up for nearly ten minutes now!"

"Are you okay?" Lee asked, sitting him up.

Neji looked around. He was in the forest where he had fallen asleep. The night was gone, and the sun was rising, casting golden rays through the trees.

"Maybe the chakra drain affected you worse than we thought," Lee said.

Neji could only nod. There was no way to tell the two about his experience, because he could hardly explain it to himself. "Maybe…" he said.

Someone appeared in the corner of his vision. Someone that was a blur of ice blue and snow. When he turned to see who it was he found there was no one there at all. Even with his Byakugan he couldn't see else anyone for miles besides Lee and Tenten.

But as they started their journey again for the land of illusions, every now and then that same snowy figure would dance in and out of the corner of his vision. There, but not there.

* * *

Chapters may be coming slower now. School is killing me! :( Please review!

* * *


	8. The Blind

**Amargosa Sun: The Blind**

Lee and Tenten were surprised to find that Neji seemed to know exactly where he was going that day. Their chakra had drained when they crossed over to the forest of illusions again, and their pace was just as slow and careful, but Neji seemed to have a stronger sense of his whereabouts. Sometimes he would pass straight through trees or veer off in a direction that seemed completely wrong. But Lee and Tenten continued to follow him, trusting his judgment.

"How are you doing this?" Lee asked.

Neji didn't have an answer for him. Not one they would understand, anyway. The truth was, he felt as though he was being tugged and gently pulled in the right direction every now and then. He saw flickers of the snow woman from his dream, as though he were getting quick glimpses of a ghost. And he would hear what he could have sworn were whispers in the direction he was supposed to turn. He had no idea who the woman was or where she had come from, but she strongly believed that she wanted to help him somehow. He was looking for a logical explanation to the situation, but all he could come up with were ideas about genjutsu induced illusions or some other mind jutsu. Either way, he had to find a way to Hinata.

To their surprise it only took an hour to reach their destination. If they had been able to go straight it might have taken much less time, but even with Neji's new sense of direction there were still many mazes and obstacles to make their way through.

The three of them reached the top of a large hill and peeked over. Stretching out before them was a massive city. The buildings were ornately decorated, like a kingdom with so much money and finery that it had nothing better to do than pave its buildings with gold and precious stones.

People moved along the streets, looking like royalty themselves.

"Those look like the outfits they described to us in Suna," Lee whispered. "The expensive fabrics, the style, everything."

"The way Gaara described the encounter," Neji said, "The princess he encountered made it sound as though her kingdom was in trouble. This place looks even better off than Konoha."

"This will take ages without our abilities," Tenten whispered. "Look how massive this place is."

"We'll check the largest, most important looking buildings," Neji said. "If this is the right place, we have to remember that it was a princess who went to Suna. If we can't find Hinata or Kankurou, we'll have to find that princess."

Lee pointed to a building far off in the center of the large city. It was large, tall, and much more elaborate than the rest. A pillar of light extended from the top of it. "Let's try there," he said.

"We'll have to sneak around and find clothes," Tenten said. "We stand out too much."

"I hate playing the thief, but I think you're right," Neji sighed. "And we won't make it that far without a way to disguise ourselves. We have to use the streets and we still can't move quickly."

Icy blue robes flickered at the corner of his eye, but Neji learned not to look. He didn't want to worry Lee and Tenten about someone they couldn't see or understand.

Tenten gasped and the two young men quickly glanced her way. She was wearing fine pink robes embroidered with gold thread. She felt her body in random places to see if her original clothes were there. They weren't. She was clothed from head to toe in brand new clothes. Pink ribbons appeared around the buns at both sides of her head. Lee and Neji's clothes had changed as well. Lee's clothes were pants and robes of green with golden threads, and Neji's were white with silver threads to match his eyes. A white ribbon had formed to tie back his long hair. All of their Konoha headbands were now in their packs, which had changed to large sacks that matched their clothes. But to their surprise, as soon as they had taken in these changes, a white blindfold appeared around Neji's eyes, his shining silvery eyes hidden from the world.

"Neji…" Lee said, reaching up to take it off.

"No," Neji said. "It must be here for a reason. You'll have to lead me around."

"Remember," Tenten whispered, "Gaara said that they were looking for people from the Hyuuga clan. The seal on Neji's forehead is gone now, but his eyes would be a complete give away. It's probably better if we guide him."

The three hid their larger supplies in the forest to keep from looking suspicious. They only carried small sacks tied into their robes with smaller supplies and small quantities of food. Neji gently held on to Tenten's arm as the three made their way over the hill and into town.

The first half an hour was tense, but they slowly started to realize that people didn't notice they were from somewhere different. The kingdom was far too large and they looked as though they fit in. They knew they were getting away with it when Neji started to gain attention and side-ways glances from interested girls.

"What do you see?" Neji asked.

"Oh, the usual," Tenten smirked as she glanced at a group of girls who were giggling at him.

"Have you noticed that everyone here is about the same age?" Lee asked.

Tenten looked around and saw that he was right. Everyone was young and beautiful. There were no elderly, or even middle-aged people. There were also no babies or children. Everyone looked healthy and stunning. And what was more interesting was that no one appeared to be working or doing any sort of labor. They were all in various states of rest and relaxation and leisure.

"Oh poor dear!" a woman said as she walked up in front of them. "Is he… blind?" she asked pointing to Neji.

"Oh," Lee responded nervously. "Yes, he lost his sight… when he was young."

"Why doesn't he just ask for new eyes?" the woman asked.

Lee and Tenten raised a brow and glanced at each other. "Oh… uh…."

"I'm used to being this way," Neji responded. "I'm not sure I'm strong enough to handle the shock of suddenly being able to see again."

"Oh! I understand!" she smiled. "Forgive me, I'm just not used to such… imperfection."

She shrugged and walked away with a smile, leaving the three of them shocked.

"How rude!" Tenten gasped. "Making fun of a blind person like that!"

"I'm not really blind, remember?" Neji chuckled.

"It's the principle of the thing!" she stomped.

"You're more concerned with that then the fact that she implied that he should go ask someone for new eyes?" Lee blinked.

"I just figured she was crazy," Tenten shrugged as they continued walking.

Another woman suddenly stepped in front of Lee.

"Hello!" she said excitedly. "I've never seen you around here before."

"Oh…" Lee smiled. "I… don't get out much."

"What an interesting look you developed," she smiled, "And such a strong body." She was running her hands down his chest now.

"Uh… th… thank you?" Lee smiled nervously. "I'm sorry but the three of us were just on our way to--"

"Would you like to have sex with me?" she smiled.

"…I'm sorry what?"

"Sex!" she smiled. "Whenever you're free of course. I don't want to spoil your outing. We can all do it together if you want!"

Neji gently pulled away from Tenten and turned his back to the woman to hide the fact that he was trying not to laugh.

"I think we'll be very busy for the rest of the day," Tenten smiled with the best apologetic look she could summon.

"Aw," the woman sighed. "Some other time then. Come look for me when you're free," she winked at Lee before walking away.

Team Gai quickly walked away and down into a more secluded area of what appeared to be the marketplace. They burst into laughs and nearly fell against the wall.

"So how red is Lee right now?" Neji laughed.

"Very," Tenten said and she ruffled Lee's hair. He was blushing furiously. "Can you believe these people?"

"You should go, Lee," Neji chuckled. "Undercover work, literally."

Lee elbowed him in the ribs. "Very funny."

The tension was completely gone now, and the three continued to what appeared to be the most important set of buildings in the city. The closer they got, the larger it loomed. It was definitely a palace, much more splendid than anything they'd seen in the ninja villages.

"I haven't seen any security since we arrived," Lee said, remembering that Neji couldn't see. "Even as we get closer to the palace, I don't see anyone protecting it from the outside. And we can approach it easily. Maybe we have the wrong place?"

"Or maybe they are overconfident," Neji said.

Lee pulled away from them for a brief moment and walked over to a nearby tree. He returned and took Neji's hand, placing something into it. Neji felt the soft feel of a long piece of cloth. There was a slight weight in his palm, and he placed his hand on the top of the cloth. There was a piece of metal there. It was a ninja forehead protector. He gently fingered the symbol carved into the metal.

"What country is this?" he asked, "It feels like the symbol of the Wind Country…. The symbol for Suna… but…"

"There is a line carved through the symbol, but it is from Suna," Lee said.

"A Suna runaway ninja?" Tenten asked. "Someone who gave up their country to come here?"

"Or it could just be damaged from something," Lee said.

"We can't rule out the possibility that it belongs to Kankurou," Neji said.

Once again, a figure of snow and ice flickered in a flash of movement at the corner of his eye. Even with the blindfold darkening his vision he saw it vividly. He turned towards the direction, but obviously, could see nothing.

"Did you hear something?" Lee asked.

"Let's go that way," Neji said, nodding to the direction he had turned towards. Tenten gently took his arm and they started to walk along the path he had motioned towards. Lee and Tenten were so accustomed to Neji giving odd directions due to him normally being able to see things that they forgot to consider that he couldn't use his ability right now. Trusting him, they simply followed his lead.

Flickering at dancing at the corner of his eyes, but never truly seen, Neji turned and followed the snowy figure. Somehow he knew she was guiding him. They walked on and on through crowded areas, and then into quiet residential areas, and then into rows of buildings that seemed as though they were rarely used. After a long walk, with the palace far behind them in the large, shining city, Neji stopped in front of a building. To Lee and Tenten it appeared to be some sort of large building for religious or spiritual worship. But it was clearly no longer used.

"Let's go inside," he said.

Lee and Tenten both took one of his hands and stood beside him.

"Step," Lee said, and Neji stepped up. "Step… another step… and another… step… step… step… step…."

"Why don't you just tell me when to stop stepping?" Neji smiled.

"It's more fun this way," Lee said. "Step… step… step… step…."

"Can't he just take off the--" Tenten began.

"Not even for a second," Lee said. "We don't know what this place is like or who could be watching," he whispered. "Step… step… step…."

"Okay I get it," Neji chuckled.

"Step… Step… Step… Step…"

"Lee how many stairs are there?"

"About a fifty more," Lee smiled.

Neji tripped.

"See that stair was uneven," Lee said. "If you had waited for me to say 'step' you wouldn't have tripped!"

Neji was smiling, and the woman flickered across his vision again. But this time she lingered there, just out of direct sight. A bright spot in the darkness of his blindfold. She lingered there, watching. He had to wonder if she was curious. She was no longer leading him. Now she was watching. Watching their seemingly pointless exchange that they seemed to be getting so much enjoyment out of. Did she not have something as simple as the kind of talk you have with people you care about that? The kind of talk that is the most meaningless to others but the most heartfelt for you?

"The real fun part is going to be getting you down," Lee said.

"We should get him a cane," Tenten giggled.

"I guess that would make me the pimp," Neji smirked. "So you two can go out and make some money tonight. Lee already has an appointment with that woman back there."

Lee started blushing again. "Step," he said. Neji stepped and his food landed hard on the platform. There was no step… they were at the top. Neji smiled and tried to punch Lee in the arm but swung at air.

"If you could still use your chakra you would be able to see, even with the blindfold, right?" Tenten asked. It was extremely rare to see Neji miss a target, even when he was playing around.

"In a way," Neji said with a soft smile. "But even if I couldn't use my eyes I'd be able to extend my chakra and feel my surroundings that way. I'd be able to feel Lee's movements and know where he was. I could even see his shape. But now… it's just darkness. It's such an odd feeling."

"It must be frustrating," Lee said as the two led him to the doors of the massive cathedral.

"Not with you two here," Neji said. "It's more fun than anything else right now."

"Well, you're taking this better than I am," Tenten said. "I just don't feel secure without my chakra-based abilities."

"Strong chakra gives us the ability to fight inhumanly strong enemies," Lee said. "But the three of us are still the strongest team in Konoha, even without it. That's because even without our advanced chakra working, we're still the most powerful hand-to-hand combat team Konoha has to offer. We'll be fine," he smiled proudly. "Gai taught us well. You can still protect yourself, and others. That's what matters."

The three reached the cathedral doors, which were partially opened, just enough for all of them to squeeze in to the abandoned building.

"Why did we come here?" Tenten asked. "Somewhere to make camp?"

"That is a good idea," Neji said. "But that's not why we came."

He stood there for a brief moment in silence, listening. They then heard soft footsteps echoing gently in the darkness. Lee and Tenten could barely make out someone's silhouette in the shadows.

"We see you," Lee said. "You might as well come out."

The figure slowly stepped forward, occasionally walking past the rays of sunlight spilling through the dirty stained glass windows. When he was nearly to them he collapsed to his knees, the light barely identifying his face.

"Kankurou!" Lee gasped. He ran over to him and knelt next to him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kankurou asked, his voice relieved, but hoarse.

"He's got a fever," Lee said, "A bad one."

"Freezing…" Kankurou muttered.

"It's a lot colder here than it is closer to the center of town," Tenten said. "Kankurou's body can't handle this temperature in his condition."

"It's a good thing we found him," Lee said. "Neji, what made you decide to come here? I just realized… you couldn't see that entire time."

"It's a long story," Neji said, kneeling next to Kankurou. "I'll tell you later. For now we need to make a fire and warm him up. I'll give him some of my food and water. Sit him up."

Neji immediately set his mind on getting Kankurou well. And again, an icy blur flickered somewhere just out of site. The room suddenly grew warmer and brighter, candles lighting up on the walls where there had been no candles before. The dust cleared, and the stained glass grew brighter. The pews seemed to dematerialize, and five beds appeared in various colors of soft-looking bedding. Where the alter had been, a large table materialized with large amounts of food.

"Why the hell didn't it do that earlier?!" Kankurou yelled.

"Because someone here is one of them," a deep voice came from the corner of the room. It had previously been in shadow, so they didn't see the youthful-looking red-head until now. "Making things appear at will… just like the people of this wretched place."

"They are from Konoha," Kankurou said to Sasori. But Sasori stayed in the corner looking suspicious.

"How do you know it's them when people can look any way they want here?" Sasori asked.

"Because no one else wants Lee's haircut," Kankurou smirked.

Tenten glanced at Lee for an argument. Lee just shrugged. "Well, he's right," he said.

Sasori sank down in the corner, sitting there with his head resting back against the wall. He looked as though he was ill also.

"Who is that?" Tenten whispered.

"That," Kankurou said as they helped him to one of the beds, "Is Sasori of the Red Sand. Ex-Akatsuki member, and one of the people who contributed to Gaara's capture years ago," he said.

"Isn't he supposed to be dead?" Lee asked, looking up at the frail looking red-head who had fallen asleep against the wall.

"He was," Kankurou said, looking over at him. "Granny Chiyo and your Sakura took him out years ago. And what the reports said were true, he had the body of a puppet that he had placed his heart and soul into to keep himself alive and conscious. A living puppet… his idea of perfection. Well, after he 'died' I fixed the body for use as a battle puppet. But there is something about this place," Kankurou said, looking around, his eyes troubled. "He came back to life… and we can't explain it."

"How do you know it's really him?" Tenten asked.

"You didn't see what he did in that palace," Kankurou whispered. "I just know. Besides, even if I didn't believe it before, I believe it now. You haven't seen what these people can do. They don't work, they don't do labor. They just ask for something and it appears. They ask to look a certain way and they do. They only live to satisfy their urges. We don't know how they are doing it, and I sure as hell don't know how you did it, but this place defies logic."

Neji walked over and picked up Sasori from the floor. He then placed him on one of the beds at the farthest end from Kankurou so they could continue talking. He didn't wake once. He coughed in his sleep a few times, and Neji was sure to cover him with enough of the warm blankets that had appeared.

"Aren't you guys the humanitarians," Kankurou smirked when Neji came back to sit with them.

"You're the one hanging out with him," Neji smiled and raised a brow.

Kankurou's eyes widened as though he had remembered something important. "Hinata…" he said. "Hinata is there."

Neji's eyes lit up. "Is she okay?"

Kankurou hesitated, unsure of how to answer. "No," he said. "Something is wrong with her. Physically she seems fine. Mentally, she seemed brainwashed. I tried to help her escape and she threatened to fight me if I didn't let her stay."

"What goes on in that palace?" Lee asked.

Kankurou told him everything he had seen since he woke up in the palace. He told them about the crystal room with the pillar of light, the princess, the palace attendants, Sasori's slaughters, and finally, the escape through the darkness and the zombies who followed.

"If you don't believe anything I'm saying at least believe this," Kankurou said. "When the lights go out, this place is far more dangerous than you could ever imagine by looking at it right now."

Neji took a deep breath. "How do we get in?"

"You don't," Kankurou said. "The only way I got out was by falling off the roof, remember? They have so many safeties and mazes and illusions put into place that you can't get in or out unless they want you to or unless the power goes out." He consider this for a moment. "Hey, can't you just look through the walls?"

"It takes too much chakra," Neji said. "And as you've probably noticed, we can only use the minimum amount our bodies need to survive."

It was Neji's turn to tell the rest of them about his dream, and the woman in white and ice blue. He explained that she was helping him somehow, and that for whatever reason, she was convinced that Gaara was coming to save her. "I think that's why she's helping me," he continued. "But she's so mysterious and her answers so cryptic that I can hardly make out what we're supposed to do to help. But obviously, it's a goal we'll have to consider since we have to get in and rescue Hinata anyway."

"She could just be using some sort of highly advanced mind technique," Lee said. "Something even stronger than Ino's family's mind-transfer jutsu. Either way, she needs help."

"I think you guys are missing something here," Kankurou said after a series of painful coughs. "Hinata doesn't want to leave."

"I can't just leave her," Neji insisted. "We came here to retrieve you both. If she wants to get up and run off after I get her home, then I will respect her free will. But not this time," he said. "This time I'll save her no matter what, and then we'll work on the brainwashing issue from there."

Kankurou laid back against the soft bed. "I'm suspicious," he said lowly. "Some princess with abilities we've never seen before comes to Suna looking for Gaara, now another woman just happens to appear with weird abilities who is waiting for Gaara."

Neji nodded. "What's important is that for now, he's safe in Suna," he said. "As long as he's there, he'll be fine."

* * *

"Hinata?" Naruto said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "You've been distant lately. What are you thinking about?"

Hinata looked up from the dinner she had lovingly prepared for them. "Oh… sorry, Naruto," she smiled. "I've just been thinking… about whether or not… this is okay."

"What?" Naruto blinked, his blue eyes worried. "Dinner is great as always!"

"No…" Hinata smiled slightly. "I mean, you and me," she said. "I'm just so happy being with you… and I feel as though it could crumble at any moment."

"I'll never leave you," the blonde grinned. "We'll be together forever, you know that!"

"Y… yeah," Hinata smiled. "I'm just being silly."

"Are you going to visit Neji today?" Naruto asked.

"Oh… maybe."

"I can't imagine how he must feel," Naruto sighed. "I'm sure he would rather have died, to be honest. Someone as strong as him being paralyzed for the rest of his life, but must have been a real blow to your family. Especially after Hanabi's death."

"Yes… it was a huge shock to us," Hinata said very softly.

"And it must be hardest on you," Naruto said. "Having to take over all of the responsibilities as the new head daughter. All eyes that were on Hanabi, and the expectations that were on Neji's shoulders… they are now all on you."

Hinata stared at the food at her plate and gently pushed it around with her fork. "All on me…" she whispered to herself.

"Hey, it'll be okay," Naruto smiled brightly. "Count on me to be here for you."

"I always do," she said, trying to smile.

The two ate their food in silence after that, and when they were finished, Naruto insisted that they visit Neji. Hinata knew she didn't want to see him, but she went along with what Naruto wanted. He walked next to her, his arm around her shoulders as they entered the Hyuuga clan area of Konoha and made their way to Neji's home. After his accident, he was no longer fit to serve the head family. He was sent away from the head family's house, and now lived in his own small apartment. Naruto sometimes remarked how cold he thought it was that Hinata didn't try harder to keep him in the head household, but Hinata insisted there was nothing she could do.

Naruto's arm was still around her when they entered Neji's apartment without knocking. He rarely answered when people knocked these days. He rarely did anything these days. He sat in his wheelchair, often staring at the wall, or mindlessly making origami cranes. His white eyes seemed more dull, and his body was growing frail from inactivity. His hair was cut unevenly and looked terribly mangled. Probably the result of him losing his mind and hacking it off after finding he'd never walk again. Naruto hoped that one day he would come out of his depression, so he continued to visit often. Hinata didn't want to see Neji this way, but came reluctantly anyway.

"Hey! Neji," Naruto smiled. "How's it going?" he said, gently patting Neji on the shoulder.

He didn't respond. He only continued to fold a white crane with shaky hands, not seeming to realize anyone was with him.

"We just thought we'd come see you," Naruto continued. "You're looking good! Um… let's see. What's going on in the village. Nothing really new… but lemme think…."

"Why do you do that?" Hinata asked softly. "He can't hear us."

"You don't know that," Naruto said. "Maybe he can, but is just so far inside himself that--"

"No!" Hinata said, tears in her eyes. "He's gone! Look at him!"

Neji continued folding.

"He'll be okay!" Naruto said. "You have to have hope, Hinata."

Tears ran down her cheeks. "Let me talk to him alone," she said. "Please, Naruto."

He nodded. "Yeah, sure!" he said, hopping up from his chair. "Take your time," he smiled kindly. He hugged her before walking out of the apartment. When he was gone Hinata turned to Neji.

"I thought this would be enough," Hinata whispered in a shaky voice, approaching Neji slowly. "But people still see you more than me, even when you're like this!" She grabbed him by the shoulders, but he still seemed not to see her. "Hanabi is dead because she was just a symbol in our family. Just a name and a title," she sobbed. "But you… you're still alive… because that is the only way to keep people from grieving. Because deep down I know they couldn't get over you dying." She shook him roughly. "I can't win with you. When you're alive and well, you're the strongest in the family. If you died, you'd die a strong and proud hero and I'd hear your name forever. I thought this would be the only way for people to view you as weak. But like this… people focus their love and their thoughts and their prayers on you constantly."

Neji put his newly made crane aside and picked up another piece of paper. The new sheet of paper was red.

"I love you, cousin Neji," Hinata whispered to him, sliding her hands away from his shoulders. "And I hate you." She shook her head and took a step back. "I love you and hate you so much. And I hate myself for being the only one who knows how to hate you."

She pulled a needle from her bag and walked towards him.

Naruto was outside, leaning against the wall and staring at nothing in particular when he heard her scream. He darted inside and found Hinata shaking Neji, trying to wake him. A red crane slipped from his fingers and fell into a pile of white cranes on the floor.

"He suddenly just stopped moving!" Hinata cried. "And he won't wake up!"

Naruto ran to Neji's side and knelt next to him. "Hey!" Naruto said. "Neji, you're just tired right? Come on, man!" His blue eyes turned desperate. "Hinata… go get help!" he yelled at her as though she were stupid for standing there. "Neji!" he called to his friend again. "Wake up!"

Hinata slowly backed out of the room, watching Naruto as he tried to wake Neji. The blonde looked as though he was completely heartbroken and helpless. Hinata hated it. She hated seeing Naruto that way… especially because of Neji. She turned quickly and left, slamming the door behind her.

She was then back at her dining table.

"Hinata?" Naruto said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "You've been distant lately. What are you thinking about?"

Hinata looked up from the dinner she had lovingly prepared for them. "Oh… sorry…."

"Dinner is great as always!"

"No… it's not that," she said. "Um, Naruto, didn't you say you wanted to visit someone today?"

Naruto tilted his head and furrowed his brow. "I could have sworn there was someone I wanted to see today," he said, as if trying to dig up some long forgotten memory.

"'Neji,' I think you said."

Naruto blinked again, as though trying to blink through a haze in his mind. "I don't know anyone by that name," he said. "I guess whoever I needed to see… couldn't have been that important."

Hinata smiled and nodded.

"Something else on your mind?" he asked, putting a hand on hers.

She gently fingered a red origami crane in her pocket. "I've just been thinking… about whether or not… this is okay."

* * *

One of Hinata's attendants walked into the crystal pillar room, approaching the platform that was bathed in light. He gathered up Hinata's untouched food and replaced it with a new warm meal. To his surprise he noticed that she was crying, tears falling down the sides of her face from her closed eyes.

"What is it?" another attendant asked behind him.

"She's crying," he responded.

"They all do that in the beginning," the other responded. "Then for some reason, they start to smile more over time."

"I wonder what people dream about in that pillar of light," he said as he turned away with her old tray of food.

"Did you do that?" his friend asked.

He blinked and looked down at the tray.

The napkin was folded into a crane.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review!

* * *


	9. The Desires

**Amargosa Sun: The Desires**

Gaara decided to rest after traveling most of the day. His speed was slowing and he felt as though maybe whoever or whatever was lending him power might need rest as well. He knew he was higher in elevation, deep in the mountains now. The air was harsh and cold against his hair and skin. It seemed to cut straight through his clothing. He shivered and put out supplies for bed and a good fire. Even when he got into his insulated sleeping bag, he shivered a bit, waiting for it to absorb his body heat. The nearby campfire felt good against his face. He missed the engulfing heat of the desert and it's simple, golden, sparkling and vast beauty. And he simply hated to be cold. Of all of the sensations that took their toll over the course of a journey, being cold was one of those his body hated to cope with the most.

He was hungry, but as he was thinking about what to fish out of his pack to eat, he fell asleep. This time his dreams were pleasant, and completely unrelated to the bloody woman who had been haunting his dreams for days. Apparently leaving his village was a good thing. As long as he was trying to help her, he would be able to sleep peacefully. His body released the tension and stresses of not being able to sleep well, and he drifted through dreams of wandering through his village, traveling to mystical places, and staring at a vast ocean of stars.

He slept peacefully through the night, and was already awake and feeling energized when he heard rustling in the bushes and trees around him. He sat up and yawned just as a group of bandits was coming out of the trees. He then slid back down into the sleeping bag because the morning air was freezing.

"Traveling alone?" one of the bandits asked. "Not too bright, are you?"

His comrades chuckled as though he had made some clever comment.

"I don't have anything you'd want," Gaara said calmly, lying back and staring up at the misty trees above him.

"We'll see about that," one of them said as they closed in on him.

Gaara felt that maybe a little more sleep might do him some good. He did have a lot to catch up on. And this was going to be a long journey. There was no reason to feel guilty about it. Just a little longer….

The bandits stared at him as he started to nod off again. One of them pulled out a knife and knelt next to him, holding it against his throat. "You have a death wish?" the bandit growled, trying to scare him.

"I need to rest," Gaara said. "Go annoy someone else."

"Just kill him and let's get it over with," one of them muttered, heading for Gaara's supplies.

The bandit with the knife smirked and thrust the knife at Gaara's throat. But to the man's shock, the blade bent against his skin without making a dent. For an instant he thought he saw a shell of sand slip from Gaara's skin and melt into the ground.

Gaara's eyes slowly met his. "Do you do this often?" he frowned.

"Hundreds," they chuckled. "Then we take the women and kick the children off the edge and leave them to rot."

Before the bandits could say more the earth around them seemed to open up and swallow them, pulling them deep as though they were standing in an inescapable quicksand. Gaara, his supplies, and his campfire area, as well as the trees around them, seemed to be spared. They clawed and screamed and tried to climb on top of one another, but soon they found that they were drowning in sand, completely pulled under until nothing of them was left to be seem above ground. The earth then smoothed out as though nothing had happened.

There were still muffed screams coming from under the ground, and Gaara reached out of his sleeping bag and rested his palms against the earth as though pushing energy through it. There was a sudden, harsh jolt that felt like a slight earthquake, and the shockwaves made the trees rattle around him. The earth beneath had compacted, crushing everything underneath him. The screams were now silent, and no one would ever find the bodies.

Gaara curled up in his sleeping bag again. He felt bad, and that feeling was like a lump in his chest and down in his stomach. He didn't like killing people without more information about what they had done. He liked being completely fair. But these men had proven that they were a menace to innocent people, and he wouldn't feel right letting them roam free after what they had admitted to doing. After all, he couldn't stop to pursue more about them. What mattered to him was the Pillar Country and saving those who were there.

Sleep gripped him again for a short time. Just enough for him to release the guilty feelings and let them dissipate in his sleep. He woke up ready to go. But still so uncomfortably cold.

* * *

Gaara traveled more slowly that day, though he still moved faster than any civilian. Even with his sand gourd he was like the wind. He followed whispers barely heard and flickers of the bloody woman hovering just out of sight and on the edge of his vision. When he turned his head to see her she wasn't there, just like an illusion. But somehow, she was guiding him.

However, he got a shock when the vision and the whispers guiding him led him straight off a cliff. Thinking that it was faster to cross this way, he commanded the sand to form a platform to carry him over the cliff and across the massive valley. But as soon as he rode the sand over the edge of the cliff, the scenery transformed. There was no misty valley beneath him now. He was just a foot over the ground. Slowly, he lowered the platform to the ground to test it's weight. It was solid. He stepped off of the sand and ran his chakra further ahead of him through the ground. It was real. The cliff had been an illusion. At least he knew he was getting close to something.

The excitement that he was getting somewhere drove him onward, faster and faster. He leapt through the trees and over the ground with ease, an expert ninja in every sense of the word. He barely made a sound as he traveled.

Suddenly the whispering seemed to whip backwards and behind him. He blinked and slowed down, sliding to a halt and looking around in case he was missing something. The bloody woman danced at the corner of his vision again, but in the direction he had already been traveling. Thinking the wind was playing tricks with his senses, he leapt over a ditch and continued on his way. But he knew something was wrong just as he was going to break into a run again. He felt as though he was being squeezed of all of his chakra. His strength seemed to be seeping out of him. Gaara stopped himself from kneeling out of exhaustion for fear he wouldn't be able to get up again. He instinctively backed up, his body heavy and strained by his sand gourd. His senses were dull, and he lost his footing, tumbling backwards into the ditch and landing hard on top of the gourd. But he was slowly starting to feel better. He laid there for a minute staring at the clear sky above him. Snow was starting to fall, and the shock of so much chakra leaving his body left him even more cold than normal.

Still unsteady, he formed the earth into stairs that led out of the ditch. He slowly made his way out, but after walking a little further he felt the same draining effect. Sighing, he backed up again, then walked forward again, testing the area. He thought of using the sand as a platform and flying above the area, but he didn't know how far the effect extended. He could end up falling out of the air and killing himself. He remembered the sensations in his dreams of not being able to use his chakra and not being able to fight no matter how hard he tried. Now he understood.

Taking a deep breath, he walked into the ditch and took off the massive sand gourd on his back. It was far too heavy to carry without his chakra, and too heavy for any normal person to steal it. So he'd have to leave it there. The earth had maintained the stair shape, permanently changed by his chakra. So he walked out of the ditch and continued on to his destination, head held high. It might be harder to fight, but he was in no way powerless. He entered a dark forest and slowly made his way through, getting caught and tangled in thorns and branches, but never stopping.

* * *

Neji felt as though he were floating, and he knew he was dreaming of the palace again. He drifted through a dark void, and then slowly things around him started to form until he was in the large white ballroom again. Snowflakes still drifted down from the vast ceiling as though by magic. He looked around, trying to see through the thick fog.

"He's here," a soft voice whispered behind him.

Neji turned around, not at all surprised with the women who appeared to him before appeared slowly in the cold fog, her pale body still looking weak and cold. Her eyes were still lonely.

"Thank you for guiding me this far," Neji smiled softly.

She nodded, looking as though she were extremely tired. "It is the least I can do, but I feel so weak," she said. "I can only offer so much assistance. My powers are so drained."

Neji put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up into his shining white eyes. "You'll be okay," he said sincerely. "I'll help you."

"You and him?" she asked.

Neji tilted his head. "That's right," he said. "You said, 'He's here.' Who is he?"

"The one you call Gaara is here," she said, leaning closer to him.

Neji sighed softly. "Listen, Gaara's home is very far away. He couldn't--"

She suddenly made a small sound of pain and slumped into his arms. "You must go now," she whispered, as if afraid. "I can't protect you from her…. Not as I am."

"From who?" he asked. "Who are you hiding from?"

"There is no time!" she whispered. "You have to go back to where you came from, now! She thinks you are--"

A cold blast hit Neji in the face as she exploded into a cloud of snowflakes and ice crystals. What was left of her slowly disappeared into the thick fog. Neji looked around frantically for her, his senses screaming out to him that something had gone terribly wrong.

There was a soft sound, and he slowed his breath to listen after he noticed it. It was a scraping sound… a crawling sound. The sound of thousands of small things coming closer and closer. Neji backed up slowly through the fog, as though he could find a way to elude whatever was coming for him.

Then, he backed into something… or someone. There was no faint, clean scent. No ethereal icy glow. No more snowflakes falling. Somehow, he knew it wasn't the woman who had been with him before. But there was one smell he could easily detect. The smell of blood.

"It's all your fault," a woman's raspy voice whispered into his ear.

Neji slowly tried to turn around, but she wrapped her arms around him from behind. Bloody, rotting limbs now circled his body with an iron grip. She slowly started to squeeze as she held him in place.

"Did you think it would be enough to come now?" she whispered into is ear, her voice laced with hate and agony. "I will make you suffer lifetimes and lifetimes for what you let them do to me. You will never die. Just live in agony… for eternity."

The snowflakes had stopped falling long ago. Now it was raining blood.

* * *

Sasori paced around the church as the Konoha ninja talked strategy with Kankurou. They were talking about how to rescue each other, how to rescue people inside the palace, and how to find their way home. But very little of this had anything to do with him. He had no idea how he came back to exist as this imperfect being when he should have been dead. And he had no idea how to stay alive. He couldn't use chakra, his body was weak, he was a slave to his body's needs, and he had no idea how to live outside of this place. For all he knew, as soon as he left, he'd turn back into a soulless puppet. And he didn't have the materials to create anything suitable to affix his heart and soul into again. He was powerless. Death would have been kinder.

He walked past the row of beds and glanced down at Neji, who was still asleep. Lee and Tenten had commented how odd it was for him to sleep in so late, but with what they had all been through, they didn't disturb him. Neji was clearly the leader of the three, having the strength and intelligence to balance a team and lead them.

He would make a lovely puppet. Sasori took another look at his sleeping face, examining his features as he did to so many others. He liked his puppets to be beautiful and flawless. One with the likeness of Neji would do just fine.

But upon closer examination of his face, he realized something was off. Neji's brow was furrowed, and his lips and skin were slowly turning blue. Sasori watched for a couple seconds with a strange fascination before snapping out of it and reaching a hand out to touch Neji's neck. His pulse was beating rapidly, and if he was breathing, Sasori couldn't detect it. Sasori shook him hard, and when he got no response, he groaned and lowered his mouth to Neji's.

"What in the world?" Tenten blinked as she caught sight of them. "Leave him alone!" she said sharply as she stalked over to Neji's bed.

Sasori didn't stop giving him mouth to mouth. Letting him die wouldn't serve their efforts to escape. Tenten's breath caught in her throat as she realized what was happening. By now Kankurou and Lee were right behind her.

Sasori continued his attempts to breathe life back into Neji's body, which was growing colder and bluer by the second. But suddenly, his body took a great, shuddering breath and his eyes snapped open. But he was starting to breathe too quickly, thrashing around on the bed. The group gathered around in an attempt to hold him down. His body pumped with adrenaline, it wasn't easy. Suddenly he screamed, his back arching and his body growing rigid.

"Give me something to put into his mouth," Sasori yelled over the commotion. "A large stick, anything."

Tenten ran outside and returned with a thick stick of bark, which Sasori placed into Neji's mouth to keep him from biting his own tongue off.

"Hold him down so I can get to his arm!" Sasori said next. The three of them desperately try to hold Neji flat onto the bed, with Lee holding strongly to his arm. Sasori lifted Neji's sleeve and grabbed the blindfold from under the pillow. He started to tie it tightly around Neji's upper arm. He then reached into his clothes and pulled out a small case, from which he extracted a needle.

"What are you giving him?!" Tenten demanded.

"Poison," Sasori said plainly.

Lee swiftly grabbed Sasori's hand while trying to hold Neji down as another scream tore through his body. "I can't let you--"

"Do you want him do die?" Sasori asked roughly. "If he continues like this I won't have to do anything because he'll kill himself. Now, I have to give him a very precise dose to calm him down so you hold on to him, and you better damn well do it right! Because if you let go and too much gets into his system he will die!"

Lee looked down at Neji who was convulsing, his strength fading. Finally he let go of Sasori and held Neji's arm to the bed. Sasori lightly slapped Neji's arm to bring the vein up and injected a clear liquid into him as slowly and carefully as he could. After a few seconds, Neji's movements slowed, and then came to a stop. It took a few minutes for everyone to calm themselves enough to let go of him. Sasori checked his pulse, and then checked to see if he was breathing. He then put the needle away and removed the blindfold from Neji's arm.

"What are his pre-existing medical conditions?" Sasori asked calmly.

"He… he has none…" Lee said in a shaky voice.

"Allergic reactions, no matter how small?"

Lee shook his head slowly, his eyes on his sleeping friend. Sasori sighed and waved them all away before pulling the stick from Neji's mouth. "He needs air. Go away."

Lee and Tenten didn't budge, so Kankurou slowly started to pull them away. "Come on you two," he said.

Sasori sat back on his bed, which was next to Neji's. "You're ninja, aren't you?" he asked sharply. "Act like it and stop being disgraceful."

"Sorry…" Lee said, backing away slowly. "We've just… never seen him like that. He's got one of the highest thresholds for pain I've ever seen…. So…"

"What might it do to his pride to see so much pity?" Sasori said lowly. "We've already been weakened into pitiful states despite all our training, and now something like this…?"

Neji's eyes were darting around under his eyelids. His brow was still furrowed.

"Where did you find poison supplies?" Kankuro asked Sasori.

"They didn't remove all of the emergency supplies I had on me when they put me in that storage closet," Sasori said. "After all, I was just wood to them."

Neji's eyes opened slowly, then closed again, as if he were trying to force himself into consciousness. His pale lips started whispering something. After a pattern of what seemed like the same phrase, Sasori leaned in closer to listen.

"U… p…" Neji whispered to him. "W… ake…. Wa… ke… m… e… Wake… me… up…."

Sasori blinked and pulled out another needle. He slowly injected it into Neji's arm before anyone could question or protest his actions. The minutes afterwards were clearly agonizing for Neji. Whatever Sasori had given him was like fire in his veins. He slowly tried to sit up and failed. But every time his eyes would close he would snap them back open. His breathing was heavy and labored and fearful.

"We need to call off the mission and get him to safety," Tenten said. "We retrieved Kankurou and from what he's telling us, Hinata is staying of her own free will. The effects of this place on our bodies is too strange. We can't stay without knowing more!"

"But we have to complete our mission!" Lee exclaimed. "Hinata is still in there. And who knows how many others. It isn't their fault they've been brainwashed! Maybe they are staying for other reasons outside of their control."

"It isn't worth turning out like this," Kankurou said, watching Neji writhe in pain on the bed. "We might have to go, Lee. We can come back with more people."

"They'll be just as powerless as we are and a large group will stand out more," Lee said. "And people need our help now!"

"I agree we need more information and should stay," Sasori said. "And moving Neji now could kill him."

"He's strong enough to survive any journey," Tenten said. "We need to get him to a real hospital in one of the major villages."

"Gai-sensei would never agree with us leaving Hinata and not completing our mission!" Lee said.

"I'm telling you man," Kankurou said. "Hinata will be fine. She stayed on her own and wanted it bad enough to attack me. She'll be fine until we grab more people!"

They fell silent and looked to Neji as he groaned softly.

"What did you give him that time?" Tenten asked Sasori, breaking the silence.

"More poison," Sasori said plainly. "The purpose of this one is to hurt. A lot."

"What?!"

"He wanted to wake up," Sasori said stoically.

"Now you listen to me--" Tenten said, stalking up to him. But just then, Neji slowly held up his hand and shook his head.

"It's fine," Neji said between labored breaths. "This is fine…."

Sweat poured down his body and the hair around his face was wet with it. But even though the pain continued he didn't look so helpless now. Now awake, he had gained enough control to stop writhing in pain.

Sasori pulled out yet another needle, which earned steady glares from Lee and Tenten.

"This will neutralize what I gave him before," Sasori explained calmly. "Or I can leave him like this, if you like."

Tenten cursed and turned away as Sasori injected Neji again. But when she turned around again she saw that Sasori was very carefully making injections and checking Neji's vital signs.

"You're a medical ninja?!" Lee exclaimed.

"Extensive knowledge of anatomy was necessary for my… lifestyle," Sasori said softly as he took a seat on his bed.

Neji just lied there, looking incredibly exhausted from the entire ordeal. He was thankful when Lee opened the church doors. The cold air felt good against his skin. The burn was still flowing through parts of his body, but was slowly being replaced with a warm, floating feeling. He was starting to feel light, and his head felt as though it might float off of his shoulders.

As he rested the memories came back to him. The bleeding, his own screams, his body being broken, torn, burned, battered, and tortured so very slowly. It all felt so real, and he had no idea how long he might have been unconscious. It felt like hours had passed with the bloody, frightening woman torturing his body and trying to destroy his mind.

He quickly shut his eyes and forced her image away. He'd have to sort out the details of the ordeal later. The mountain air was so fresh and cleansing. He started to drift into sleep again, his body feeling lighter and lighter….

But as soon as he started to cross into dreams, she was there, waiting for him. Her sunken, bleeding eyes promised more agony and blood. He woke up with a start, his hand over his heart. It felt as though it would pound out of his chest if he didn't hold it down.

"You really should sleep," Sasori said to him.

"If I do that," Neji sighed. "I'll die…."

* * *

It was night time when Gaara found the large hidden city. In the center of the city he could see a large palace with a bright pillar of light shooting from the center of the roof. Unfortunately for him, the city still seemed to be alive in its nighttime hours. People were still lively in the streets as though night never fell. Lights of all colors cast rainbows into the street from ornate lanterns lighting the buildings. It was beautiful, but it wasn't the best environment to sneak around.

He sighed in frustration as the snow started to fall, leaning against a tree in the shadows as the delicate flakes fell onto his face. His breath came out in small, flowing clouds. He tried to ignore how cold he was. He also tried to ignore how lonely he was.

After a few more moments of staring at the snow falling onto the landscape he stepped away from the tree.

A moment later he was grabbed. It was as if the people had materialized out of no where. One moment he was alone, the next several arms were grabbing him and pinning him to the ground. He was pushed face down and his hands restrained behind his back with cuffs. Someone grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up painfully. A masked man was kneeling in front of them. They were all clothed in black robes and black masks.

"Are you sure this is him?" the man in front of him asked.

"With that red hair, it has to be," another answered.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked, staying calm even as the man gripped his hair painfully.

"You're being arrested for murder," the one in front said gruffly. "We haven't seen a crime like that in many decades. The royal family will seek the most painful punishment for what you've done."

"I haven't murdered anyone," Gaara said. "Where is your proof?"

"I don't know how you got past our defenses," the man said. "But no one is stupid enough to enter this kingdom with hair the color of the devil. To bear such an appearance and commit such crimes, we will see to it that you suffer for your sins."

Gaara was pulled to his feet. And in less than a second he was suddenly inside a building. He knew these men must be bending time. They had traveled from the edge of the massive city into one of the buildings in the blink of an eye. But Gaara knew that time had only stopped for him. They had probably done it because they thought he was dangerous. And he would have been if he were guilty of what they were accusing him of.

"You have the wrong person," Gaara said. But there wasn't much more he could say. He couldn't reveal his identity, because these people had been looking for him. Using the hourglass was also a bad move, because they knew more about its uses than he did. But after a moment's thought, he realized that getting away might not be the best decision. After all, this way he would be taken straight to the people in charge. What better way to find out more?

Gaara was taken down a large hallway with marble statues and stained glass windows. The ceilings were painted to look like the sky on a cloudy day. The guards led him through a set of large ornate doors and into a throne room. The room was surrounded with jade columns and sheer white fabric fell in veils from ceiling to floor around the room. They proceeded down a velvety black carpet, approaching a set of three thrones. Only the middle throne was occupied, and Gaara immediately recognized the princess who had invaded Suna. He immediately wiped the shock from his face when he remembered that she had never seen him unmasked.

The princess slowly rose from her throne and descended down a set of stairs to reach them. She was very graceful and lovely, gliding effortlessly in her silver robes. Her black spiral curls bounced only slightly with her steps. She fearlessly walked up to Gaara and looked him straight in the eye.

"Who are you," she said coldly. "And what do you think gives you the right to disrupt this peaceful palace?"

"I haven't killed anyone," Gaara said, not breaking their gaze. "I've been falsely accused."

She glanced at his clothes, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Your hair color is the same as our most hated demon," she said lowly. "And you wear the clothes of a foreigner. You are exactly as the witnesses described." Anger flared in her eyes. "The ones who survived the attack…."

"If you have witnesses then bring them," Gaara said. "I'm not who you think I am."

The princess stared at him for a moment, then nodded to one of the guards. He bowed and left quickly. They all stood in silence a long while, the princess pacing back and forth slowly. The guard then returned with two young men in tow.

Gaara looked back at them, horrified at the state they were in. Each of them had random body parts missing. An ear, a finger, an eye. They were bandaged all over, and limped very slowly. They clearly had many bones broken. Upon seeing his hair, they shrank back.

"Is this the one who attacked you?" the princess asked gently.

The young men seemed afraid to look at him, but slowly their frightened eyes met his face. One seemed unsure, but the other's face grew surprised.

"No, your majesty," he said. "This is not the same person."

"Are you sure?" she asked with a false sweetness that made Gaara's skin crawl.

"Yes princess," the young man said. "The hair color was the same, but it is not the same person. Perhaps he has changed himself?"

"Foreigners cannot change their appearances except through the degradation of age," the princess said. "No, if he is not the one, then the killer is still free. However, how he came to be in this kingdom is still a mystery."

Gaara stayed silent, waiting for her to draw her own conclusions. "You may fix your bodies now," the princess nodded to the young men. She waited for them to leave the throne room and turned her attention back to Gaara when they were gone.

"An uninvited foreigner with traits of a demon can't be any good for us," the princess said. "To preserve the peace, he must be put to death. This land is too pure and divine for any sort of corruption he might bring with his outside ways."

"Why punish me for someone else's deeds?" Gaara said, staring at her coldly. "That hardly seems pure or divine or good."

The princess slapped him hard across the face. "The prisoner will not speak unless spoken to!" she said.

Gaara turned back to look at her, unphased. "The peace here would appear to be an illusion," he said.

She rose her hand to strike him again.

"Sister," someone said behind her. The princess stopped and turned as a tall man with long dark hair and silver robes came through one of the back passages of the throne room. "There is no need to dirty your hands on someone so low."

As he approached Gaara thought that there was something very off about him, as though he wasn't real. He was lean in muscle, his skin was pale, his long dark hair came down to his thighs, and he had to be close to seven feet tall. These things all existed in people, but somehow the man's collective traits made him look artificial. He moved with the same grace as the princess, and in his eyes was the same false kindness that the princess had just moments ago.

"If we execute him," the man said, his eyes sharp and almost feline, "We would be no better than the barbarians outside our boundaries. Besides, we have no evidence that he committed any crime aside from looking like a demon's spawn. We cannot release him to the outside in case he has the urge to bring others. We can keep him here. If he is worthy of the job, he might replace one of the ones lost in the slaughter."

The princess fixed her eyes on Gaara, then gave one of her false gentle smiles. "As you wish, brother," she smiled.

The tall man stepped closer to Gaara. "As you can see, we are not without mercy. Rather than cast you out, you will tend to us if we find you worthy."

"What better way to hide my existence from your people?" Gaara asked accusingly.

The man only smiled smugly. "Our people would only gain strength if they see that we can tame one of the demon's sons."

Gaara took a deep breath, considering all of his options. But he became distracted when he realized the prince's eyes were staring at him quite intently now. There was confusion there, and a hint of distress. The man slowly reached for Gaara's clothing. "Perhaps you are not so innocent after all," the prince said. "It would appear you are a thief. Did you think we could not feel it's power on you?"

Gaara realized too late what the prince was reaching for. It only took a few seconds for him to locate the hourglass talisman hidden in Gaara's clothing.

"Where did you get this?!" the prince demanded. "For you to dare taking something that links you to our goddess is unforgivable! You dare commit such blasphemy!"

"Where… did you get this…?" the princess asked lowly, stepping between them.

Gaara looked at them both but said nothing.

"We asked you a question!" the prince demanded.

"We should tell you," the princess said, her bell-like voice growing harsh in tone, "Each talisman we use is unique, and only useable by our chosen. We had not yet retrieved this one from where we had left it."

Again Gaara said nothing. The prince calmed himself and smiled smugly again. "It's fine, my sister. We only need to ask the goddess where this small piece of her power has been."

This didn't sit well with Gaara. Somehow he felt that whoever had spoken to him through the hourglass was someone who needed his help. Would allowing them to ask her cause her more trouble? Would it cause the deaths of those close to him? Would it aid in the cycle of torture the bloody woman had spoken of?

Gaara couldn't help but think of Kankurou being taken in his place. Perhaps if he turned himself in… they would set Kankurou free. But that was just one of many possibilities.

The prince held up the hourglass, and it started to glow in his hand. And in that moment, it was as though Gaara felt a feeling of dread radiating from it. As though the bloody woman couldn't stand the feeling of the prince using her power. Gaara couldn't explain the feeling precisely, but he knew it was a violation.

"Suna," Gaara said suddenly. The hourglass stopped glowing as the prince looked up. "I took it from the hidden village of Suna."

"You stole it?" the prince asked.

"I thought I could trade it for the Kazekage," Gaara said. "I saw that he was taken… and there was a lot of chaos in the village, so no one saw me take this. I thought if I gave this back to you and did anything you asked, you might return him to us."

"It was in that chaos that my sister left it," the prince said, visibly calming. "In her haste to have the Kazekage join us, she left it in Suna's hands." The prince slowly looked to the princess, and she lowered her eyes. "Even though it is powerless without one of our chosen to use it, that was unwise." He turned back to Gaara. "You have done us a service by returning it, but I'm afraid the Kazekage is no longer here."

Gaara's eyes lit up. "He returned to Suna?"

"No," the prince said. "You see, he is to be captured and executed for aiding the red-headed killer we mistook you for."

Gaara blinked. "The Kazekage would never--"

"Perhaps he was forced to by the killer, but in order to determine this, he must be captured."

Gaara shook his head, and looked down to the floor. Things were growing more confusing. The weight of how hard it would be to fix things was finally hitting him.

"Guards," the prince said. "Take him to a room and see that he is properly… attuned… to life within our kingdom."

Gaara's head snapped up. "I can't stay here," he said. "I only came to retrieve the Kazekage. I'm no threat to you. There will be no damage done if you release me to Suna."

"My dear boy," the prince said. "Soon you won't care about the Kazekage, or Suna. Soon, you'll find peace. The same peace we know in this kingdom. For the simple task of bringing this back to us, we will let you know bliss."

Another wave of distress radiated from the talisman the prince was holding as Gaara was pulled out of the throne room by the palace's guards.

"Now," the prince said, holding up the hourglass. "Are there any other intruders I should know about, my pet?"

* * *

Tenten woke up in the middle of the night, starving. She made her way over to the table and found that it appeared to have conjured up some new food. She had stopped questioning the magical nature of this kingdom. She knew she needed to eat, and she knew the food wasn't dangerous. So the obvious conclusion was to eat the magical food sprouting from the magically appearing table in the magically transforming church. Perfectly logical… sort of.

She slowly took a bite out of a piece of fruit. For some reason it tasted so much sweeter than normal. It was like a slice of heaven just biting in. She took another bite, and then another piece of food, and then another. She was no longer hungry… it just felt good to eat.

There was a slight creak behind her, and she whipped around, feeling as though she were caught doing something bad.

Sasori was sliding out of Kankurou's bed. He smirked at Tenten when she caught sight of him slipping his case of poisons back into his clothes, which were largely undone.

"What are you doing?!" she whispered harshly.

"Nothing he'll remember," Sasori smirked. "To use me as a puppet has it's karma," he whispered, more to himself than to her. A chill slid up Tenten's spine as he came closer. "But somehow I'm still not satisfied," he said, his eyes focused hard on her.

"Stay away from me," Tenten said as she backed against the table.

"Or what?" Sasori asked. "You'll hurt me?" He stepped directly in front of her. "These mortal bodies crave pain. You fight against it, you deny it, but it tells you that you're alive." He leaned closer, and she found herself afraid. For whatever reason, she couldn't conjure the fighting spirit to push him away. It was as though whatever mental strength she had was leaving her. "I'm much more dangerous like this than I was as a puppet," he murmured. "Now… I just want to fulfill what this flesh and blood wants."

He leaned in to kiss her, but his eyes were still cold. He had no real wants or desires, only basic urges and cravings. But she knew what was wrong. It was wrong with her as well. She felt it just moments ago as she had been devouring the food. The cravings of their bodies… those natural cravings… were turning into something unnatural and obsessive. She thought back to the idle people in the streets of the kingdom.

Tenten quickly put a hand on Sasori's chest and stumbled away from him. "Stop it!" she yelled loud enough to wake Lee.

"Hm…?" Lee yawned, jumping out of bed. "What's going on?"

"This place…" Tenten said. "We have to leave. It's going to drive us insane."

Lee sighed and glanced at Neji's bed, only to realize it was empty.

"He went for a walk a while ago when he thought everyone was asleep," Sasori said, leaning against the table.

"In his condition?" Lee sighed in frustration and ran for the church door. But the moment he flung it open, he found himself staring at a row of large men. Before he could say anything a fist connected with his face and he went stumbling backwards, hitting the floor hard. But he quickly leapt up as quick as he had fallen. The men swarmed around him, but as soon as one tried to catch him he delivered a series of lightning fast punches to the man's midsection…

…Only to find that he had connected with nothing but air.

"Too fast…" Lee gasped as the one he had been aiming for appeared behind him. The masked man was about to deliver a blow to Lee's head when a knife cut straight through the air and hit him in the hand, jutting straight through his palm. The man looked over to see Tenten, ready to throw another round of daggers at the group.

"Don't move!" Tenten commanded.

Another man grabbed for Lee, and Lee threw a weak punch at him. As soon as the man disappeared he quickly swung around and surprised the man again with a swift kick to the stomach.

Sasori was over by Kankurou, practically slapping him awake. "Get up you idiot!" Sasori yelled shaking him.

"Ugh…" Kankurou groaned groggily. "Why the hell am I so sore?"

"Nevermind that!" Sasori snapped as streaks of silver daggers flew straight over their heads and struck a wall.

Kankurou jumped out of bed to see the fighting. Lee was giving the men a hard time with his incredibly fast hand-to-hand combat skills. Tenten covered him well, hitting nearly every target she aimed at. But they were overwhelmed by the time-bending abilities and speed of the guards attacking.

"We have to run," Sasori said.

"We can't leave them!" Kankurou exclaimed.

"You're not a close-combat specialist, and I'm too weak right now," Sasori said. "We'd just be in the way."

"Get out!" Lee yelled to them. "We'll be okay, just go!"

"Don't just stand there!" Tenten yelled as a group of guards rushed her and pinned her hands so she couldn't use anymore weapons. "Run! Get help! Find a way to get a message home!"

Kankurou grit his teeth and bolted for the church doors. Two guards spotted him in the commotion and went to tackle him, but Lee managed to break the hold of the men who were trying to hold him still and kicked one of them straight into the path of the men heading for Kankurou. They all landed on top of each other with a loud thud just as Kankurou and Sasori slipped through the church doors.

"Stop them!" the men called out.

Needing to buy them some time, Tenten looked around for something to use. With few options, she managed to twist herself so that one of her arms was freed from a guard's hold. She grabbed a wine bottle on the nearby table and threw it through the air. It landed on the table again among a small display of candles. As the guards were met with shock as flames spread across the table in a river of flames, she threw another bottle at a lantern near one of the beds. Fire started to spread all over the church.

"Lee," Tenten called from behind a wall of flame. "Run! Get out if you can!"

"Tenten!" Lee yelled over the chaos and fire.

The men who had attacked them seemed preoccupied worrying about the harsh lick of the flames now. They were afraid of it. Not afraid of death or burning. They seemed to fear the fire itself, cowering whenever the flames drew too close. Lee took the opportunity to fight his away out of the group of frightened guards.

"Tenten!" he called out again.

"Damn it, Lee!" she yelled. "Just get out of here! The mission is a failure! You have to get help! GO!"

Lee winced as the smoke started to fill his lungs. His feet felt rooted, but he considered the best option to keep them all alive. And the best option right now was assistance. It was either that, or hide out forever and slowly sink into insanity.

Finally, reluctantly, he ran out of the church… the guards still too stunned by the fire to bend time and capture him again. He only turned back when he was far away. In the distance, the burning church was becoming nothing more than ashes mixing into the falling snow. He was alone.

Team Gai was completely separated.

* * *

Gaara was made to wait in a dimly lit corridor with the guards. He hadn't yet found an opening for escape that wasn't needlessly reckless or pointless. There was a heavy door ahead of them, and Gaara actually preferred to know what they had in store for him. It was better than standing in some musty old corridor with painfully eerie statues staring at him.

Suddenly there was a great deal of commotion coming from a passageway behind them. There was a struggle happening, but it was clearly under control. Gaara tried to turn around, but the guards held him in place easily. That was another thing he noticed. They were incredibly strong. He wondered if they looked as abnormal and unnatural underneath their robes and masks as the prince had.

Gaara felt increasing dread in his chest as the rustling behind him drew closer. Something inside of him started to ache. It was at that moment that the door in front of him was opened. It became clear then that what they had been waiting for was another prisoner.

Gaara's group went first, the guards pulling him through the door way. He could hear the footsteps of the second group and its prisoner behind him. The occasional gasp of pain told him that the second prisoner was female.

The circular room was filled with what looked like giant hourglasses that lined the walls. Below the neck of each one, there was a glass door in the bottom half. Gaara didn't have time to consider his situation when one of the doors was open and he was flung inside. The second prisoner was pushed into the one next to his. The hourglass prisons only appeared breakable. The force with which the guards slammed the doors shut told Gaara that this was no ordinary glass. It wouldn't break easily.

He sighed and looked up. The space was very small. He could barely stand. And he was worried about the shape of the prison. He half expected sand to start pouring in from the top half to drown him, but the top section seemed to be empty.

Sighing, he spared a glance to the other prison.

Tenten stared back at him with shocked eyes.

Gaara put his hands against the glass as though it would help him reach her. She did the same, her eyes saddened from seeing him in the same situation as her.

But the situation wasn't the same.

Tenten was badly injured. She was cut and battered and bruised, and had what appeared to be burns on her clothes, hair, and skin. She had been badly beaten and needed medical attention. Gaara was hoping none of her bones were broken.

Tenten stared at her prison and tried to give the door a swift kick. She winced and slumped down to the floor. Gaara understood her frustration. The damn thing looked like thick glass. Breakable, transparent glass. But it wasn't that easy. He also realized when she kicked it that he couldn't hear her. The prison was soundproof as well. And the door had no weaknesses from the inside. The prison couldn't be knocked over, and the neck of the hourglass was only wide enough to fit an arm through… not that climbing to the top half would do any good.

Gaara had to admit, he thought it would be easier to escape. His chakra-based abilities had been a part of him all his life, so he wasn't used to finding himself in situations where he couldn't use them. And without the talisman, he could no longer bend time.

After their many efforts to get out, Tenten had passed out, either asleep or unconscious on the floor of her hourglass prison. She was just a few feet away from him, and yet they couldn't get to each other to form a plan, and they couldn't hear each other.

Gaara heard something odd, like a generator starting up, or power coming back on after a power outage. Suddenly, Tenten jerked up from the floor of her prison. She stood against the glass wall with horrified eyes. She looked around almost blankly before staring at the floor. Remembering that he was there, she pointed to the floor then made a jerking motion with her body. She then lifted her hair up at each side so she looked as though she were a child playing with a static-charged balloon to see how it would manipulate her hair. He shut his eyes and nodded when he realized she'd been electrocuted. This was a torture chamber. She wasn't allowed to sleep. He put his hands together in a praying motion and then leaned his cheek against them as though he were sleeping, then shook his head at her. She nodded and sighed in response. She looked exhausted.

And so the two of them sat. And sat, and sat. Hours passed.

More than once, Tenten received a shock for nodding off. Gaara was tired also, but he knew all too well what it was like to stay up endlessly, never being able to sleep. What was starting to eat at him slowly was hunger. And it was so easy to focus on it because there was nothing left to do but feel trapped in a dimly lit room of hourglasses. At least in a dark jail cell he could close his eyes and imagine what might happen to him or what could be going on outside. But here, he was too aware of what was really around him. Too aware of every second that crawled by.

And so the two of them sat. And sat, and sat. Days passed.

Days without food or water. Both of them sat still, hiding their pain the best they could. They didn't even look at each other anymore. Not because they didn't want to, but because it was just easier this way. It was easier to play down your own pain when you couldn't see how much pain your friend was in. They sat as if in meditation, but lack of sleep and food and water made it impossible to let their minds escape from the situation. By now they were allowed to doze off for a few hours at a time, but not long enough to really feel rested. Only enough to keep them alive. That was it.

Gaara was used to torture. His entire life had been torture. He was good at keeping himself calm and sane-looking, even if he was raging inside. Tenten wasn't fairing so well. She looked angrier and angrier and more pained the longer time stretched on.

Of course it had crossed both of their minds that they were left to die in here. Forgotten. That was another reason they didn't look at each other. It wouldn't do them any good to know how much closer the other was to death. It gave them strength to believe that the person next to them was still alive. It meant there was, in some strange way, a source of life other than themselves.

And so the two of them sat. And sat, and sat. More days passed.

They were given a little water, but no food. Again, they were allowed a few hours of sleep every now and then, but nothing more. Tenten's bruises and cuts still needed attention. Gaara was growing frustrated with his lack of power in this situation. One day they had pounded against the hourglass as if they were mad, trying again and again to break free. Nothing worked. And they were too weak to keep going.

Gaara thought of his village. He felt guilty now, and it was overwhelming. He had left his village, and for what? He had accomplished nothing, and he would die in here. What would become of his people? Would Temari ever find out what had happened to him or Kankurou?

It had been a long time since he had let himself do it, but he looked over at Tenten. She was sitting, looking lost in thought. There was something odd about seeing her there, suffering alone… without Lee or Neji around somewhere. And at this moment… after these days of confinement, Gaara would have given anything to see Lee or Neji.

As he dozed off, he had a dream… or was it a memory? He had a dream that he was back in his bed at home, resting comfortably. And next to his bed was Neji, sitting in a chair, watching over him as he slept. His hand occasionally brushing Gaara's hair from his face.

An electric shock tore through him to wake him up. Tenten received no shock, because she was too upset to sleep.

And so the two of them sat. And sat, and sat. More days passed.

Finally, the heavy door to the room opened, and the guards came inside. Tenten looked as though she would welcome execution over this confinement. Quite frankly, Gaara couldn't blame her.

The guards came closer to the cells but didn't open them. They stood as if waiting for something. And then Gaara heard it. There was the sound of something opening, and he looked up to see that the top of the hourglass, the part that extended up to the ceiling, now had gas being sucked inside. The same was happening to Tenten's prison. They tried to hold their breath, but it was no use. There was no escape. The gas came down through the neck of the hourglass and into the bottom portion where they sat. It wasn't long before they were out cold.

And so they slept. And slept, and slept. They couldn't tell how much time had passed.

But they woke up, mentally tired… thirsty… and hungry.

They woke up in a broken down building in the center of town. Outside the people of the kingdom were walking around happily as if all was right with the world. Inside the building, there were instructions about how to conjure food, water, and a place to sleep. After all, now they would have the will to do it.

All they had to do was ask "the goddess" for it.

Tenten awoke first. And by the time Gaara woke up, she had already remade the room into something comfortable and warm. She had already wished for food and drink. And she stared contentedly out the window, her expression as clueless and blank as the people outside.

Gaara now understood what the prince meant by "attunement." Prisoners were broken until they wanted nothing more than the comfort this mysterious place could provide.

He knew at that moment, after seeing Tenten's lifeless stare, that in order to survive this place, pain would once again have to become his ally.

"I know what you're thinking," Tenten whispered, still staring out the window. "You're thinking that… if you can deny yourself just enough… that the cravings you feel will go away." She stopped for a moment, as though she forgot she had been speaking. "It doesn't work that way…" she finally continued. "It's this place. Something about this place. The cravings don't stop…. They just don't stop. And you know that if you leave… you can't satisfy them anymore. Soon you start to think… that maybe it's better if you stay."

Gaara stared at the food and the comfortable room. He wouldn't survive or have energy to fight if he didn't eat. He summoned all of his willpower to take the amount he needed before walking away from the table and turning his back to it.

"I tried that too…" Tenten smiled bitterly. "But the cravings don't stop. I never feel full. I can only stop eating when my body just can't take anymore."

"Where are the others?" Gaara asked, trying to ignore that his body wanted nothing more than it's cravings and comforts. He quickly ate the food, trying not to truly taste it.

"We all ran…" she whispered. "Kankurou and Sasori… Lee… Neji… all ran."

Gaara finished the food, but wanted more. He wanted nothing more than to feel good. The feeling was so was strong that his will was crumbling against it. But he had dealt with feelings like this throughout his entire past. He would stand up against desire and do his duty.

"Fighting it only prolongs giving in," Tenten whispered. "You have to… run…." She was then silent and unresponsive. Staring out the window like a doll."

Gaara stared at her for a long, long time. He ignored the bed, he ignored the food and drink, he ignored the warmth of the room. He tried to focus on the things he desired most that weren't of this strange place. The comforts of being home. But then he could only think of the hard journey it took to get there. This place was claiming him by playing on his fears and discomforts.

With his remaining strength he thought of a craving that would keep him moving towards his original goals while still driving him with desire. He'd use the powers of this kingdom against it in order to win.

He'd have to find Neji.


	10. The Reflections

**Amargosa Sun: The Reflections**

Rumors began in the kingdom. Rumors that a ghost was wandering the streets at night. He would walk the streets silently in white robes and a white hood. He didn't exist in the daytime, no matter how hard people tried to find him. He could disappear into the shadows and find ways to escape being seen and detected. Some people said he wore a blindfold, some people insisted he didn't. But he was well known for his hood and for hiding his face. His hair was said to be very long, but people insisted that anyone who said they got close enough to tell were just lying.

There was one person who would follow these rumors, however. He was drawn to the stories of this ghost as they were passed around. People feared this young man, for his hair was as red as their most hated and destructive demon from their very distant past. His eyes had dark rings around them, as though he had gone without sleep. Since he hadn't asked the goddess to change his hair color or erase the evidence of his sleepless nights, they assumed he was crazy beyond repair, or that he was simply too tainted for the goddess to grant his wishes. Either way, they avoided him. But he would appear in different places around the kingdom, listening to the tales of the ghost who appeared well into the night.

The red-headed young man had so much trouble concentrating. His body wanted all the comforts the kingdom could provide. He wanted sleep, but he strayed from bed. He ate little, and he drank little. People approached him for comfort, but he turned them away. And the more he denied himself the more the kingdom seemed to want to bend itself to suit his needs. His favorite foods seemed to appear in random places. Everywhere he went he saw comfortable places to sleep. And his body craved more and more and more from him. No matter what he did it could not be satisfied. But somehow, unlike everyone else, he was strong enough to deny himself.

He was going mad. He started to forget things. His purpose, his past, even his name. He started to stare into space and drift along as though in a hazy dream. He was denying what his body wanted, and so his body was confused. The young man rebelled so strongly against bliss in a place that demanded it so heavily that he was starting to lose his mind.

"Maybe we should…" a familiar young woman said to him as she leaned closer. "Don't you want to?" she asked, pulling him to the bed. "You'll enjoy it," she whispered.

But before he could lay with her he stopped suddenly, and moved away. He remembered her name. It was Tenten. But when he tried to think of how they had met, things got so jumbled in his mind.

"You're killing yourself," she said, holding her hand out to him. "Do what feels good, and the pain will stop."

He shook his head and backed away again.

"Gaara…" she said softly.

Gaara… that was his name. He had forgotten his own name. He put his face in his hands in frustration.

"This won't make me feel good," he said to himself. "This won't…. It won't…. It won't…."

"Just try it," Tenten said, her eyes glassy with her empty stare.

Gaara ran from the room and then outside. He had to get away, but there was no where to run. This kingdom was taking him, body and mind. He couldn't fight anymore. The ache of wanting to feel some sort of comfort was overwhelming. But for some reason he knew he had to try to fight. But he couldn't even remember what he was looking for anymore. There was something important he had to find… but he couldn't remember what it was anymore. He stopped running, realizing that he had run from the busy streets and into a more secluded area.

He could no longer think straight. His thoughts were no longer coherent. He turned to go back, moving as if by impulse rather than thought. He would go back to Tenten. He would eat, drink, and sleep as much as he wanted. Then he'd do it all again, and again, and again. It would feel good, and he'd be satisfied. He'd be happy. His senses told him this, but something deep down was screaming to him to keep running. But that little voice inside was weak compared to the roaring discomfort he was feeling now.

His body slowly stopped moving in the unbearable cold, and soon he was asleep on the snow, slowly being covered with fragile flakes of ice.

When he awoke, there was the smell of incense… the kind you burn when you want to put yourself under a spell. The deep, spicy scent with just a hint of sweetness that made you crave that moment. You wanted to hold on to it forever… but not alone. That scent was the kind you burned for two. You, and someone else to share in that moment you so desperately wanted to hold on to….

"Oh you poor thing," a sweet voice said. "You look so very tired."

Gaara opened his eyes slowly. "Tenten?" he asked softly.

"No silly," she giggled. "I am the princess of this kingdom. I am known as Princess Kaali. But you may call me Kaali."

"Kaali…?" Gaara repeated. He had heard the name before. But his memories were so scattered and his mind so clouded that he couldn't remember a thing. He looked around to see that he was not outside anymore, and he was no longer in the main city of the kingdom with Tenten. Now, he was in a palace.

"What is your name?" she asked softly. "Please tell me."

Gaara sat up slowly from the soft bed. He couldn't think, and his entire body ached. But it wasn't pain. It was longing, and craving, and a constant urge.

"It isn't easy getting used to the constant desires," she said. "But it will get easier, and more and more rewarding, I promise."

Gaara's body wanted… everything. Every comfort it could ever feel, every desire he ever had, he wanted it now. And somehow, without fulfilling what he wanted, he couldn't think of anything else.

"It's some sort of drug…" he whispered to himself.

"Nothing so primitive or crude," she scoffed. "What you're feeling is a blessing. It will help you fulfill your deepest wishes and desires. You will know true bliss. But come now, you haven't told me your name."

For a moment Gaara imagined himself in blue robes, embroidered with the symbol of the wind. He saw sand… a desert. But it all faded so quickly, like a dream he had awoken from too quickly. "My name is Gaara…" he replied. "But… I can't remember how I got here… or… why I'm here…."

As he sat there he felt he was struggling to hold himself together. His body felt so uncomfortable, as though he were having an anxiety attack.

"Let me help you," Kaali whispered softly as she ran her fingers through his red hair. The sensation was amazing. It was comforting and it tingled, and it relieved the anxiety for a fraction of a second.

He looked at her for a long time. And then he remembered what he told himself to remember if he remembered nothing else. He was supposed to be looking for someone. Pale skin and eyes, and long dark hair. Those words were engraved into his mind. He had recited them over and over, but now he couldn't remember why.

Kaali ran her fingers through his hair again and slowly he started to relax. She looked down at him, with eyes of the lightest blue. Pale skin, pale eyes, dark hair.

"I've been looking for you," Gaara said softly. "You're the one I needed to find…."

She tilted her head curiously. "You were looking for me?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, closing his eyes. "I somehow knew that you could help me. I told myself over and over what you looked like, but now I can't remember why it was so important to find you."

She smiled, and if he didn't know better, he'd say that for a brief moment, it looked very sly. "You were to find me because I am to guide you through this process," she said. "I'm supposed to show you how to find bliss." She ran her fingers through his hair slowly again. His body visibly relaxed.

"Why me?" he asked.

"Because you will be my prince," she smiled. "You will be mine forever."

* * *

Gaara stood in front of the mirror after a long, hot shower. The heat felt so good against his skin. The heat of the shower wrapped him in a thick blanket of heat that felt so familiar, and yet so distant. He wouldn't have left the shower if not for Princess Kaali's voice gently asking him to come out. He now stood in the massive bathroom in front of a semi-circle of full length mirrors. He stared at his reflection, as if unable to believe he was staring at himself. The person looking back at him looked so unfamiliar.

It was as though he were seeing himself for the first time. His body was powerful and visibly strong. Barely a trace of fat, his lean body was covered with hard muscle. He wasn't bulky… this fitness was from genuine hard work. From some sort of lifestyle. He opened and closed his hands, touched his arms, then his face, then his chest, then his stomach. He felt as though he could unleash enough power to bring down the whole palace with his bare hands.

He met the reflection's eyes again. The calm color of blue twilight after a day of rain. His hair was red, like the passionate heat of a flame. But looking at his reflection, he had no idea which he was… calm or passionate. He could remember so little about who he was deep down. It was as though he couldn't be sure of anything. He couldn't recognize anything.

He pushed aside the bangs of his wet, messy hair to reveal the character of love over his left eye. He quickly moved his hand away, as though the symbol had frightened him. He shook his head, trying to remember his past.

"Do you like what you see?" he heard the princess ask. Her graceful arms encircled his body from behind. He could feel the silk fabric of her robes against his bare skin.

"I don't know who I'm looking at," Gaara said softly. Her hands against his skin were cold, and he shivered slightly. He didn't feel ashamed to be standing nude. After all, he had told himself to find her and trust her.

"It might take some time," she said. "Most people become overwhelmed over living here at first. But your past will come back slowly. Please tell me when it returns. I'm sure you have much to teach me."

"Teach you?" Gaara asked, still trying to understand his own reflection.

She only smiled. "I'll explain that some other time. But for now, let's concentrate on making you feel better."

She gently turned him around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He looked into her eyes and tried to find some hint of familiarity there. Something that told him why he had been searching for her. The longing for her that he might have had before. But he couldn't feel any of it. Even as she leaned in to kiss him, the contact seemed so foreign to him. Her gentle kiss didn't bring any fond feelings rushing back. In fact, he felt as though he should pull away. But he didn't. He decided that he'd let things run their course until he could remember her.

The princess broke the kiss with a satisfied smile and took his hand. She led him into her bedroom. As they approached the bed he stopped suddenly, staring at it. There was a book sitting on the bed. For a moment he imagined a young woman reading it. She flashed in his mind for only an instant, blond and laughing. Then she was gone, fading back into his memory where he couldn't reach her again.

"Don't tell me you're nervous?" the princess smiled.

He stopped staring and managed to smile a bit, shaking his head. "Of course not," he said softly.

She slid easy out of her silken robes and smiled. "Good," she said, approaching him.

He resisted the urge to back away as she approached him, her body completely nude, moving so gracefully. He wanted to turn away, feeling something much like guilt. But then the ease of her grace caught his eye. There was something vaguely familiar about it. But also something wrong that he couldn't place.

He felt the anxiety of being completely unsure rising up in him. He felt lost instead of comforted. He had been washed, and feed, and he drank to his own pace. But this was at her pace, and this wasn't the type of control he could hand over to her.

She reached out to him with her hands, and as soon as her cold touch reached him he grabbed her wrists and kept her hands from his body. "No…" he said softly. "We can't…."

"Why…?" she asked. "Am I not attractive to you?"

"It's not that…" Gaara said. But even as he said it, he knew part of it was just that. She didn't excite him at all. And she felt more than unfamiliar now. The more he spent time with her, the more and more this felt wrong to him. "I just need more time," he said.

She frowned, but nodded, gathering up her robes and putting them back on. "I will show you to your room," she said.

Gaara's room was right across from the princess'. She had seen to that herself. After showing him in for the night, she stalked back into her own room and closed the door behind her. She walked over to a hand mirror and held it up. It glowed in her hand, feeling her desire to command it.

"I know this is highly irregular, but I know you can do it," the princess said harshly. "Make him want me. Make Gaara desire me. Make him lust for me. And make it so bad it's painful for him and do it this instant!"

While the hand mirror glowed she sat on her bed, practically bursting with humiliation. No one had ever denied her before. She considered herself far too beautiful and talented to be treated like some commoner. She had made herself into every man's wish. She was perfect. There was no reason for him not to desire her. She convinced herself that it was because he didn't feel well. There was no other explanation in her mind. Her grace and beauty alone should be enough to make any man fall to his knees.

"I will have the demon's son," she said more to herself than the mirror. "He'll grant me power and I will be able to leave this place for good."

She sighed and set the mirror back on it's small pedestal before sitting on the bed again. She waited, and waited. And then she smiled a moment later when there was a knock at her door. She ran to it anxiously and flung it open. Disappointment swept over her face when she saw that it was only her brother.

"Oh, it's you," she sighed, looking up at the abnormally tall prince. "What do you want, brother?"

He stepped into her room without being invited, turning to smirk at her. His long, dark, softly-curling hair make his pale face look more menacing in the low light. "I see you brought a visitor from town," he smiled. "The lowly demon spawn seems to have excited you." He chuckled to himself as she blushed and looked down. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to," he said. "But you can't bend him to your will. He's far too strong-minded for you. Even after being through the breaking process, he's clearly still that demon's child. That red hair, that mark on his forehead, and being able to breach our defenses? What could you hope to gain from one such as that?"

"I'll do anything to be rid of you, dear brother," she said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I think you're just jealous that I got to him before you did. He's much more likely to lend his power to a beautiful woman than play friend with the likes of you."

The prince glared at her, then broke into a smug smile. "I just came to let you know that I'll be watching you fail, and I'll be enjoying it, dear sister." He walked to the door. "Good night," he said, closing it behind him with a mocking bow.

The princess stood there, staring at the door angrily. Of course she knew. Of course she knew this might not work. But she would try whatever it took to leave. To see the outside world. She knew she could rule over a kingdom that was all her own. No one could deny her.

There was another knock at the door and she flung it open, ready to spit in her brother's face if he dared to disrespect her again. But as soon as the door was open she was pushed inside and the door was shut behind her with a slam. Seconds later Gaara had her on the floor, kissing her roughly and tearing her clothes off of her. She was shocked as she heard the silk ripping away, but she quickly regained her composure and laughed softly at her luck. How wrong her brother had been. She was beautiful and desirable and perfect… and she would always, always get her way.

"Shall we move over to the bed?" she asked softly as she tried to playfully push him off.

Roughly, he pushed her to the floor again. It was then that she saw his eyes. Dark, menacing, nearly insane. "You aren't going anywhere," he said, his voice almost a growl. "I need you now." For a brief instant, she felt fear. The look in his eyes was more intense than anything she had ever seen. It was intense, it was cold, it was frightening, and it was powerful. She felt her self fighting, pushing him away… and failing. If she hit him he didn't react. It was as though he felt no pain at all. She managed to land a punch and it left his lip bleeding. He only looked at her with a dark smile. Slowly, he licked his lips, wiping the blood away. He looked at her, his eyes more animalistic than human.

She was afraid….

He was hurting her….

She couldn't control him….

His hand cut off her screams. Her eyes wide with fear, she glanced over to her dresser, the mirror on it's pedestal. It almost seemed to have moved, as though it were staring at her. As though it were watching her scream, only to have those screams muffled.

"Stop laughing at me!" she thought to the mirror. "STOP IT! And make him stop! NOW!"

No help came. The mirror still seemed to be the only witness on its pedestal. The only witness to the princesses humiliation. But suddenly, Gaara wordlessly stood up. He seemed to be confused as to why he was there. The princess quickly scrambled to her bed, afraid of what he might do. She was too afraid to scream or think straight.

Suddenly, he hugged himself and seemed to double over. He appeared to be panicking. He backed away so quickly that he slammed into the wall behind him. Quickly, he turned and flung the door open, running into his room. Then, she heard him scream. A loud, agonized scream.

She took a few deep breaths and then glared at the mirror. "Make no mistake," the princess said, managing a smile. "He was so captivated by my beauty that it drove him to this. He is mine, and he's wrapped around my little finger!"

Leaving him to scream in the other room, she went to bed. Locking her door for the first time in many years.

In his room, Gaara clenched his hair as he knelt on the floor. He let out another scream, his head splitting with images he couldn't control.

"Not again…" he said softly, his voice shaking. "Not again!"

_"Did you think you could escape me?"_

"Shut up… shut up… shut up…."

_"I'm never really gone, Gaara."_

"No…."

_"No matter how much you want it to stop, it will keep going. You'll hurt more people, you'll torture more people, you'll kill more people. You'll soak your hands with innocent blood."_

"I can't… not again…."

Gaara saw every detail. Bodies being crushed in coffins of sand. Bones broken, the splatter of blood. Bodies being pulled apart. People tortured. Homes and lives destroyed. He tried to force the images from his mind, but they were only replaced with more death and destruction. And when he pulled his hands from his face he could see the blood on them. He could smell it. He knew it wasn't real and yet it was there.

He knew it. These were his memories. The destruction was caused by him. Somehow he just knew. But in every scenario he saw he also felt a complete lack of control. Control over his senses and his body.

_"That's right. This was the price of you losing control. All of this… was your fault."_

"It wasn't me…. This isn't who I am!"

He ran to the bathroom to wash the blood away, even though it wasn't really there. But when he looked up in the mirror, he saw a monster. Half of the face in the reflection was him, but it was mutating into some sort of monster.

_"This is me. And this is you. Forever."_

Gaara backed away from the monstrous reflection, shaking his head. Black patches and stars started to dance in front of his eyes. He knew he was passing out. He made it to bed just in time for the blackness to sweep over him. But even in his sleep, tears rolled down his face.

* * *

The next morning, the princess was standing over him, looking as calm as she could manage.

"Did you remember something?" she asked. "Something that would make you dare attack the princess of this kingdom?"

Gaara's eyes widened and he got to his feet, kneeling in front of her. "I'm so sorry," Gaara said. "I ask you to forgive me. There was no excuse for what I did."

"Perhaps there was," the princess sighed. "You remembered something, didn't you?"

Gaara shuddered, and slowly rose to his feet. "Yes," he said softly.

"What was it?" she asked.

Gaara remained silent, hoping he could gain amnesia again somehow.

"I asked you a question, Gaara," she pressed.

Gaara turned to look at her, his eyes serious. "I don't remember everything," he said. "But I know that I was a killer. I know my life was hell, and so I brought hell on other people."

She smiled and rose a hand to his cheek. "So your life before was horrible? Well, that would explain why it was ideal for you to find me. With me, your life can be bliss. You'll never again have to return to what you knew."

Gaara took a deep breath. "It doesn't bother you?" he asked. "It doesn't bother you to know how I was?"

"Of course not," she giggled. "Why would it? After all, you are here now."

Gaara sat down on the bed slowly, his legs feeling weak. Despite the horrors he could see so clearly in his mind, some details were still fuzzy. In some cases, the events and the surroundings were so vivid in his memory, but the people were often blurred and hard to remember. And it was odd that only some people were hard to remember… while others were crystal clear. But one thing was certain… he was hated. He could remember no one who had cared for him. He couldn't remember anyone he had cared about.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. His hands clenched into tight fists.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"No," he said sharply. "Would you be alright if you found out you only had yourself? I found my past and there was nothing and no one to care about. And to top it off…" he remembered his reflection. "I'm a monster."

"You're no such thing," the princess said, trying to lighten his mood.

"You don't understand," he said lowly. "There is a demon inside of me." He looked up at her, his previous calm expression changing. She could see the change as the memories started to surface one after the other. And she could see from the changes on his face that none of the memories that were surfacing were good.

_"That's right… you're not alone." _

"It's always there…."

_"And you can't erase me."_

"It's always watching."

_"Remember now, who you fight for…."_

Gaara looked to the princess, his eyes holding much of what the had the night before when he attacked her. "I love only myself and fight only for myself." A dark smile spread across his face as he slowly walked towards her. "And as long as I think everybody exists to make me feel that way…" he backed her into a wall and placed his hands on either side of her, "…The world is wonderful.…"

* * *

"So how do you know the demon he is speaking of is the same demon that we know of?" the prince asked.

"Who else would it be!" Kaali snapped. "Just look at him! He is clearly the spawn of our most hated demon. That sinful destroyer who purges with fire…. And you should have seen the look in his eyes."

"I'm not convinced," the prince yawned. "He's probably just trying to gain your favor."

"That's not it!" the princess snapped in frustration. "You'd do best not to challenge him! There is no telling what he can do. And he's already getting harder to control with every memory he regains."

The prince waved it off. "It's none of my concern," he said. "We'll just toss him into the street when we discover that I am correct and he's just lying to gain your favor. And to his credit, it seems to have worked. He must be quite charming."

Kaali stood from her throne and quickly attempted to leave the throne room. When the doors were pulled open for her she found Gaara standing on the other side. She jumped back, visible startled.

He stared at her with cold eyes, then the side of his mouth curved into a smile. He offered her his arm. "Shall we?" he asked.

She linked arms with him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said. "Now that I know who I am, I feel much better."

"Even if knowing who you are means you wish destruction on the world?" she asked softly.

He stopped and stared out of one of the colored windows. "If this is how I can live now, then maybe I can find a new purpose. I feel deep down as though something has changed. But I can't place what…." He looked at her. "But the thirst for blood that was so strong in me before seems less intense now. But maybe it's just because I'm no longer in the hateful world that I once knew. Maybe things are only different because I can be here, with you."

"That's not true, Gaara," a female said behind him. He turned to see a blonde young woman holding a storybook.

"What is it?" the princess asked as he turned away.

Gaara looked at Kaali and then turned back to the woman. She wasn't there anymore. He let go of Kaali's arm and turned in a full circle.

"What's wrong?" the princess asked again.

"Didn't you see her?" he asked.

"See who?"

"That woman," he frowned. "The blonde woman that was just here."

She sighed and took his arm again. "There is no one here. Perhaps you're just tired."

"Don't talk to me like I'm crazy," Gaara said, shooting her a piercing stare. His eyes were devoid of any warmth. He then pulled her along, making his way to his room. "I'm starved," he said. "I'm tired of being hungry all the time…."

They sat and ate together in his room. The princess gently stepped over to him and pulled his fork away when she thought he'd had enough. She smiled and sat in his lap, facing him. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked softly.

She leaned in and kissed him, and at first he was unresponsive. But something suddenly seemed to tug at him. Something seemed to make her instantly appealing to him. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss.

"Is that the type you're into?" someone asked. "You can do better, kid."

Gaara broke the kiss and jumped out of his chair when he heard the male voice. For a moment he saw a young man clothed in black, his face painted with intricate make-up to look like a fierce mask. Gaara only blinked and he was gone.

"Gaara?" the princess said. "You're so jumpy. It's just you and me, I promise." She walked in front of him and pulled him close again. He looked annoyed and anxious. "Come now," she said. "Let me find a way to relax you." She kissed his neck softly, and though he closed his eyes all he could see were flashes of the young man who had just appeared. Who was he? Why was he so familiar?

Gaara opened his eyes, his frustration building. "Do it then," he said.

"Do what?" the princess asked curiously.

He backed her towards the bed. "Relax me…."

* * *

Hinata had it all. She was the head of her family, the strongest of the Hyuuga clan, respected and loved by all. And most importantly, she was the wife of the Hokage, Naruto. It was everything she ever wanted.

But she realized that the people she wanted to share her success with were no longer there. Her father and sister were dead… both killed 'mysteriously.' And Neji was dead to. Killed 'mysteriously' as well, obviously. Or rather, he had never existed. He had been erased. It was easier that way. That way, no one would miss him or mourn him or continue to love him in memory. She was free of living in his shadow, as well as the shadows of her father and sister.

Hinata gently played with a red paper crane. Naruto had asked why she was so fond of it. She told him she wasn't, but for some reason, she couldn't throw it away.

She walked down the streets of Konoha, the crane held delicately in her jacket pocket. Naruto would be meeting her at the lake today. As she made her way into the forest she saw someone strolling through the trees. The pink hair told her it was Sakura, most likely gathering herbs near the lake. Hinata decided to greet her when she heard Sakura speaking to someone. She realized that it was Naruto, still clothed in his red Hokage robes.

Hinata crept up slowly, feeling a bit foolish. But she wanted to know what they were talking about. She felt a swell of jealousy at the way Naruto smiled at Sakura, and felt even worse when they laughed together. Hinata was happy when Naruto became Hokage. It meant he would be spending less time with Sakura.

Hinata sighed, deciding that sneaking around behind trees was foolish. After all, Naruto had chosen her. She had no reason to be insecure. She stepped out from behind a tree and rose her hand, ready to call attention to herself. But her voice caught in her throat.

There was a touch of the sleeve, a brush of the hair, a hug, a whisper, and… a kiss. Naruto and Sakura were kissing right in front of her eyes. He embraced Sakura with more love and tenderness than he had ever so much as glanced at her with.

Sakura gasped, realizing that Hinata was there. Naruto turned also, visibly shocked. And Hinata stood there, her hand slowly lowering to her side.

"Why…?" Hinata whispered. "I can't even have my way… even now?"

She ran from the two, and she heard Naruto running after her, calling to her to wait. But she wouldn't stop. She wouldn't let him get to her. She ran and avoided him, finally hiding in an alleyway. She sank to her knees and started to cry, unable to handle the sheer frustration of it all.

"Hinata?" a soft voice said.

Hinata looked up to see Sakura standing over her.

"Hinata, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to -- We didn't mean to hurt you. We just weren't thinking…."

Hinata stood up and shook her head. "Sakura, how could you? How could you?! With my husband!"

"I know," Sakura said sadly. "I know, and I'm sorry. I know I can't make this up to you now, but I truly am sorry."

Hinata searched for a tissue to wipe her eyes, but when she reached into her pocket she felt the red crane. The crane as red as Neji's blood had been. As red as her father's. As red as her sister's. With a loud sob she swiftly grabbed Sakura by the hair.

"I hate you!" Hinata screamed. "I hate you!" She slammed Sakura's face against the red brick wall. Again, and again. Sakura's blood was as red as the crane. As red as Neji's. As red as her father's. As red as her sister's. When she could no longer support Sakura's weight she sank down to the ground with her and slammed her face into the street instead. Sakura would never be pretty again. She would never hurt Hinata again. And Naruto would never look at her again. By the time Hinata was done, the alleyway was stained with blood.

And then she ran. She ran straight home. Not to her home with Naruto, but to a secluded place in her father's home. She ran to her old room and stared into the mirror there.

"I hate you…" she said again. "I hate you… I hate you… I hate you!" She slammed her fists into the mirror again and again. "I HATE YOU!" she screamed at the reflection.

She started to throw things. Fragile things. She started to break things. She started to tear down whatever there was to tear down. She would bring everything down if she could. She knew that she could just fix it all if she wished it. But she didn't wish it. She knew that no matter what changes she made she couldn't fix her life. There would always be more. Always be something else she would blame for getting in the way of her happiness.

If only Kankurou hadn't ripped her away from her blissful dream when he tried to escape with her. Then maybe she wouldn't have realized that it was all an illusion. All some elaborate fake.

Hinata looked at her shattered reflection. She then picked up the sharpest piece of glass she could find, and held it to her wrist.

* * *

Princess Kaali stared into her vanity mirror, examining her reflection. Not long ago she had slept with Gaara, but it wasn't as she wanted it to be. She expected to seduce him, and she expected him to be captivated by her beauty. She expected him to worship her.

But he didn't even look at her. He just went through the motions. It was just a release. He seemed as distant and uninterested as he had before they started. And Kaali couldn't stand it. She couldn't stand the rejection or the idea that she wasn't good enough. She felt used, and she was the one who was supposed to be using him.

Whatever power he held, she'd extract it. She'd take it for her own. She just had to learn how. With the power she had now she had made him lust for her. What she needed was for him to love her. For him to want to please her and do anything she desired.

She quickly snatched up her hand mirror talisman. "I command you once again," she said. "Make Gaara fall in love with m--"

Suddenly the lights flickered all around her. She quickly put the mirror down and hurried into the hallway. The palace lights were flickering rapidly. Pain griped her body and sent her reeling back into her room. Just then she heard Gaara's door open. She couldn't let him see her like this. She couldn't let him know the truth….

And outside the screams began. They served as a warning to all those who could hear them. And through the panic, a ghost was calmly wandering the streets that night… getting closer and closer to the palace.

* * *

Thanks for reading! More on the way!


	11. The Voices

**Amargosa Sun: The Voices**

The lights started to flicker out, one by one, slowly. They flickered, sometimes turning back on and going out again, like a heartbeat trying to right itself. Neji walked through the shadows of the streets, cloaked in his white robes with his hood drawn over his head. He wore the blindfold around his forehead, always ready to pull it down over his eyes in case he needed to hide them. He tried to keep walking at night. The night was the hardest. The night was the hardest time to try to stay awake. But he had to.

Sometimes his he had no dreams and was able to sleep. But whenever that bloody, rotting woman got the chance, she invaded his dreams. She tried to torture him. She tried to drive him insane. He was growing too afraid to sleep at all. And when he needed to rest for a while, he tried to sleep, hidden, and yet in the light of day. That was comforting somehow. But at night his body wanted to sleep, and he couldn't bring himself to lie down and let it. So instead he walked, looking for his friends.

He remembered leaving the church many days ago. He left to walk off the horrors of his nightmares. He left to try to stay awake and to think about how to proceed. And then he saw the smoke rising into the sky. When he found his way back, the church was burning to the ground. Much of it was already lifting into the air in small ashes. His first instinct was to rush inside. But he slowly collected his breath and his senses. There was no way people as capable as Lee and Tenten would die in a fire. No, they couldn't be inside. But still, he worried for their safety. He slowly walked forward and stared at the still smoldering building. Snow started to fall, smothering the warmth.

Sets of tracks indicated a struggle. They led towards the palace. There were others as well, that led away. These tracks wouldn't last long with the snow falling now.

For days, Neji walked, following any clue he could. Listening to whispers of the citizens of the kingdom. He stayed in the shadows and behind buildings. There was no sight of any of them, and the kingdom was much too large. He checked several meeting areas that Lee and Tenten had decided upon when they were first examining the village. But there was no sign of them.

Neji was left with two options now. Abort the mission and leave, going home for help, or… completely ignore protocol and every lesson he had learned over the years, and try to break into the palace to see if he could find anything. At the very least, he could try to get Hinata out.

He sighed, his breath coming out in puffs of swirling white as he walked through the snow to get a closer look at the massive palace. And that was when the lights started to flicker.

Suddenly, he remembered what Kankurou had told him. Kankurou had warned him about the dangers that arose when the lights of the kingdom died. But he had also mentioned that the palace defenses went down. Ignoring the lack of sleep and exhaustion, Neji ran to the palace as fast as he could manage through the snow. He had no grand plans, no strategies, and no back-up. He acknowledged his own recklessness. And with that, he climbed the tallest tree he could find that grew near a wall of the palace. He waited as the lights flickered on and off like a slowing pulse. Holding on to the branches for balance, he held his breath and timed the loss of light that affected certain parts of the colorful palace. Taking a leap of faith, he dropped down onto one of the balconies just as the lights shut off there. He broke through the glass window with a swift kick and then leapt down into the hallway.

He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Looking back and forth down the hallway, he could see no one.

"…Leave…" a very soft whisper said.

Neji looked around the deserted hallway.

"…Leave…" the voice said again.

The hallway was lined with mirrors. And in one of them, Neji saw the kind woman from his dreams. The one clothed in a gown as soft and fragile as a snowflake. The one who was cold to the touch and beautiful even in her sorrow. He saw his own reflection plainly, but she appeared next to it as though she were standing right next to him in reality.

"…Leave this place…" she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked softly, approaching the mirror.

"The one you call Gaara… is slowly being changed. He's slowly becoming one of them. Slowly becoming evil. Hope is lost to me now. You must escape with your life."

"Where is he?" Neji asked. "I'm not leaving." He gently touched the mirror and met her eyes. "I'm not leaving, and that's the end of it."

She looked at him sadly, then turned to his reflection, as though she were actually standing there regarding him. "You mustn't go like this," she said. She brushed her hand over the eyelids of his reflection, and when he blinked, the eyes that blinked back at him in the reflection were now dark. His eyes were no longer white. They now looked… normal. Perhaps the way they would have looked had he been one of those born in his clan without the Byakugan. They were a deep, dark, chocolate brown. The woman then touched his hair in the reflection, and slowly, it started to lighten and shorten right before his eyes. The white ribbon from his hair fell to the floor. His hair was now shoulder length and completely white. He stared at his reflection, and realized that was exactly how he looked now.

"It is but an illusion," she said. "To protect you. Should they see what you really look like… should they see your white eyes or should they recognize you in some way, they would capture you and kill you… or worse. And so, keep this illusion for now."

"I understand," Neji nodded. "Thank you."

"The one you seek," the woman said, "Is a floor below. And he is lost."

She then faded away. Neji lifted his hand to touch his hair. His head felt lighter. He had taken for granted how much warmth his long hair held. He also spared another look at his eyes. He had often wondered what they would look like without his ability. He thought he looked fairly odd, but there was no time to consider it further. He quickly made his way through the dark and flickering hallways until he found a staircase that led down. Taking a deep breath, he slowly descended the stairs, clothed in his white robes, his hair now white as snow.

As he made his way down and rounded the small landing, he could now see that some of the doors in this hallway were open. There were lights flickering on and off from inside the rooms. He could also hear movement. He heard one door open, and another one shut quickly. Then, to his amazement, Gaara stepped out into the hall, his silhouette and movements easily recognized by Neji's eyes.

"Gaara," he whispered softly, slowly walking down the hallway.

Gaara turned and looked at him. The lights were dim in the hallway, some not coming back to life. They were both mostly in shadow.

"Gaara, it's me," Neji said.

Gaara started walking towards him slowly, his face momentarily lit by a lamp as he passed. His face was blank, and his eyes cold. Then they were drowned in shadow again.

"You have to come with me," Neji said, remembering that Hinata had been brainwashed and so something might have been done to Gaara as well.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked.

"We don't have time," Neji said. "Just come with me," he said, grabbing Gaara's arm. "I'm a friend."

But Gaara stepped away from him. "I'm not going anywhere with you," he said. "Not until you answer me."

"My name is Neji, and as I said, I'm a friend."

Gaara stood there, staring at him. Behind him, there was movement from inside the rooms.

"Someone is coming, Gaara," Neji said. "We have to go now. I might not get another chance."

"No," Gaara said flatly.

Neji sighed and rolled his head on his shoulders slowly.

"Don't," Gaara said, his mouth curving into a smile.

Neji opened his eyes and stared at him from under his long lashes. "Don't what?"

"You're thinking of how to take me by force, right?"

Neji smirked at him slightly. "Am I that easy to read?" he asked.

"Every inch of you," Gaara said, dark humor in his voice.

And as Gaara said it, he wasn't joking. There was something in the way the other young man moved that was familiar to him. Something that was comfortable about him. And something in his voice that was inviting. But as he tried to recall him from memory anxiety shot through him and forced the memories back.

"I don't remember you," Gaara said. "But something tells me you'll be trouble."

"Why do you want to stay?" Neji asked.

"None of your business," Gaara said. "Now leave."

_Just kill him. He's too pure. Let his blood flow red. Let it stain him from head to toe. Let it cover those white robes and that white hair._

Gaara slowly looked Neji up and down. He stared at the white robes with their silver threads, and the hair as white as a snowflake. His skin was also pale. The only color was in his dark eyes. And even those held a strong, pure determination.

_Disgusting, isn't it. That someone can go through life so immaculately, while you have gone through life with so much corruption. So much ugliness. If you admire his beauty, kill him before he sees the ugliness of the world. You'd be doing him a favor. If you hate his beauty, kill him more slowly and let him see ugliness. Either way, his blood must flow._

"I'm not familiar to you at all, am I?" Neji asked gently.

"Where exactly do you want to take me?" Gaara asked, unable to deny his curiosity as they both stood in the dim light together.

"Home," Neji said. "I want to take you home."

Gaara's eyes narrowed and his mood instantly darkened.

_He wants to take you back to that place. They'll continue to use you and treat you like a monster. He wants to take you back to hell._

Gaara's eyes slowly tracked over to a suit of armor near a wall. There was a spear at its side. Neji followed his eyes, and then their eyes met. They looked into each other's eyes for no more than a few breaths, right before Gaara quickly stepped over to the wall and grabbed the spear. He twirled it over his head expertly and then sent it cutting though the air, aiming straight for Neji's head. Neji ducked the blade and then jumped up again in a fluid movement, kicking Gaara in the stomach so he slammed back against the wall. Gaara glared at him and pushed off from the wall, the spear still in his hands. He lunged at Neji, trying to land a stabbing blow to his chest. But Neji easily blocked the spear and guided it away from his body. His movements were as smooth as water. No matter what actions Gaara used, Neji managed to control the situation.

The spear went singing through the air with the speed of Gaara's swing, aiming to slice across Neji's neck. But Neji moved closer to Gaara in a lightning fast movement while grabbing the spear with one hand. Gaara looked up into Neji's eyes, seething with anger. Neji looked down at him calmly. They were just inches away from each other, Neji holding tightly to the spear.

"I'm not going with you," Gaara said. "I'm never going back."

"You've lost your memory," Neji said. "You can make up your mind after you get it back."

"There is nothing I could remember that would ever make me want to go back," Gaara said angrily.

"Your village. Your people."

"Shut up."

"Temari. Kankurou."

Gaara blinked, and for a moment, he looked confused.

"Gaara?" a young woman's voice said. He turned to his right to see the blonde woman with the storybook.

"Gaara?" a young man said. On his left, the young man with the mask of paint was there.

And once again, they faded away as though they were never there. Once again lost to him. He looked up at Neji as though he might fade also.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked. "Did their names hit a nerve?"

"I said shut up…."

"Can you really abandon them so easily?"

Gaara shoved forward, trying to get the spear back, but Neji knocked him back against the wall.

"What about Lee and Tenten?" Neji asked, his eyes piercing into him. "Will you forget about them too? Do you have any idea how much they care for you?"

One by one, the lights flickered on in the palace again. And as the lights came on, they could see each other fully. The pure white of Neji's hair and outfit stood out in the hallway of rainbow colors and paintings and flowers and lamps.

"I'm going to let go of the spear," Neji said calmly. "Then we can talk." He loosened his grip and backed away.

As soon as he had backed away, one of the doors was flung open. Princess Kaali stepped out into the hallway. She looked disturbed about something, and very uneasy. But shock was the look on her face when she saw Gaara and Neji.

"Who is this?" the princess asked, as she walked over to the two of them.

Gaara slowly put the spear back where it belonged and glanced at Neji with an unreadable expression.

"What were you doing to Gaara?" the princess demanded, looking at Neji.

"He's my new servant," Gaara said suddenly. "You did say I was allowed some of my own, didn't you?"

Kaali looked Neji up and down. She suddenly smiled, pleased that Gaara had decided on a male servant. Not that she thought that any of the female servants could compete with her beauty or charm.

"Well… yes… good…" she said. "But… I don't remember seeing you before…." She slowly walked closer to Neji, then walked around him as if examining a new piece of merchandise.

Neji tried to remain calm as she stared into his face, meeting his eyes. But to his relief, she shrugged a bit. "Ah yes, we did have replacements from the city after the… incident."

Neji nodded as if agreeing. "Forgive me, your highness. I came rushing down the stairs to check on you and with my hasty movements he probably thought I meant to do him harm. It's my fault entirely."

"Well, it's alright," Kaali smiled with sickening sweetness. "Just be more careful next time." She pointed to a door. "That will be your room. If Gaara calls on you, you will tend to him no matter the time of day and no matter what he asks. Am I understood? Your job is simple. You simply do as you're told without complaining."

"Yes, your highness," Neji bowed, inwardly dreading becoming a slave in this palace.

"Now leave us," the princess said, waving him away.

Neji turned away and headed for the door. But not before seeing the princess link arms with Gaara to lead him to her room. Neji wasn't pleased….

* * *

"What happened?" a palace attendant asked as he walked into the crystal pillar room.

"She started bleeding from her wrists," another said as he held a towel over Hinata's wounds. "I think she is rejecting the pillar. We have to inform the prince that we need to find a suitable replacement. We have her stabilized for now, but there is no telling when she might reject it again."

"I will inform the royal family immediately," the first attendant nodded.

After he left, the group tending to Hinata got a shock when she opened her eyes. But they couldn't tell if she was really seeing them. Her lids slowly sank down again and she took a deep breath, an eerie understanding now apparent on her face.

* * *

Neji looked around at the small room. It was clearly a servant's room. No more than a bed, a small washroom, and a small closet. There was a door to the main hallway, and side door leading directly to Gaara's room. He sat on the bed and took a deep breath. The lights were back on in the palace now… the power restored. That also meant that the safeties would be back in place and the security system up and running. For the moment, he couldn't be sure of how to leave, and he wasn't going to try without taking Gaara with him.

It wasn't long before Gaara opened the side door and stepped inside. Neji stood up, and they stared at each other for a short moment.

"Why did you lie to her?" Neji asked. "Why protect me?"

"I didn't do this for you," Gaara said. "I did it for me. You're going to tell me who I am. You're going to fill in the holes in my memory. And make no mistake, you ARE my servant." He met Neji's eyes with an icy stare. "If you disobey, I'll kill you."

Neji rose a blow. "Then what shall I do for you?"

"Why are you trying to take me home?" Gaara demanded.

"You're needed there," Neji said.

"I'm through with being used."

"You are needed, not used. You love your job."

"And what exactly is that job?" Gaara asked. "An assassin? A killer? An interrogator?"

Neji stayed silent, conflicted about what his answer should be. He couldn't tell Gaara that he was the Kazekage… not while he was like this.

"Kneel…" Gaara said.

"What?" Neji blinked.

"Get on your knees… now."

Neji took a deep breath, but he gracefully sank down onto one knee and lowered his head. Gaara stared down at him. "I asked you a question," he said coldly.

"You are a ninja," Neji said, his head still lowered. "One of the best."

"And what of the monster?" Gaara asked.

Neji looked up at him, confused. Gaara glared down at him.

"Monster?" Neji asked.

"The one I turn into. The one inside of me," Gaara said. "Why is it there?!"

"Gaara… what exactly do you remember?" Neji asked gently.

Gaara told him about the horrible visions he had… the memories of his past. The violent details of each and every thing he remembered. Neji listened intently, watching him pace around the room as he spoke. Finally he stopped, a disgusted look on his face.

"Gaara…" Neji said. "You won't turn into a monster. The demon inside of you is gone now."

"How can you be sure?" Gaara asked lowly.

"It was removed from your body by a group called the Akatsuki," Neji said calmly. "The process killed you. You were brought back to life just in time using a forbidden jutsu."

Gaara stared at him, as though he didn't understand whether or not it was good or bad. He absently put his hand over his heart.

"All of those horrible things you did weren't your fault," Neji continued. "That was Shukaku acting through you… influencing you beyond your control."

"I'm free of it?" Gaara asked, as though it were a relief.

"Yes," Neji said.

Gaara leaned against the wall. "You may stand," he said softly. Neji stood gracefully and stood just a few feet away from him.

"Let's get you home Gaara," Neji said. "You'll understand everything once you're back."

"I told you… I'm never going back," Gaara snapped. "No matter what you tell me, I have the memories. They are as clear as crystal. You can't take away years of pain by taking me away from here!"

"There is nothing for you here, Gaara!" Neji said. "Staying here fixes nothing. And any connection you have to this place is an illusion! You're only running from your problems if you stay here!"

"No, I'm changing the course of my life by staying here!" Gaara said. "You call yourself my friend. Why the hell weren't you there for me?! Where were you when I was suffering?! Why was I always alone? And if you're really my friend, why would you want to take me back to a place I hate!"

Neji's face remained stoic, but Gaara narrowed his eyes. "You know something," Gaara said lowly. "There is a reason you want to take me back." He chucked bitterly. "You're no friend to me. You want to take me back to be used again… just like before."

"I wouldn't do that to you," Neji said. "I need you to trust me, Gaara. You aren't well. Your current life isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. I can't tell you why, but you have to trust me. Your village loves you and they need you."

"That's a lie…" Gaara said.

"Your brother and sister miss you," Neji said.

"I have no one!" Gaara yelled. "There is no one! The only one who has ever shown me the slightest bit of kindness is Princess Kaali and I won't leave her side. I need her, and she needs me."

"What does she need you for?" Neji asked. "She committed acts of war against your people!"

"When I am so far beyond redemption her crimes are meaningless to me," Gaara said, his fists clenched.

"You were never beyond redemption," Neji said.

"Then you didn't know me…." Gaara said, turning away.

"She's using you," Neji said, stepping closer.

"The illusion of being needed is better than the reality of being utterly alone," Gaara said softly. "So I guess this means I'm using her also."

Gaara went into his room, but he left the door that connected their rooms open. Neji walked over and stood in the doorway as Gaara sat down at a table.

"Doesn't it frustrate you to be without your abilities?" Neji asked.

Gaara glanced up, and only someone with eyes as sharp as Neji could catch the fear in his eyes.

"Doesn't it concern you that you can't use chakra in this place?" Neji continued. "That you aren't fully yourself? You obviously remember what you were capable of."

"It's not important," Gaara said. But he was lying. They both new that it was important to him. What Neji didn't know was that Gaara felt a longing for the desert. The longing for the warm, vast sands. And there was the fear that he wouldn't ever see the desert again. Never feel the warmth of it, or see its beauty ever again.

"You know something is wrong," Neji said. "You know this doesn't add up. You may have the memories of who you once where, but you know, deep down, that you aren't that person. You can feel you've changed. You feel the tranquility. Why deny it?"

"Enough…" Gaara said.

"You have a good life now, and you're a good, respected person."

"I said enough!" Gaara said. "I don't want to hear about how good I am, or how I've forgotten all the good parts of my life, or how nice and tidy things are now. As far as I'm concerned it's all lies, and it's meaningless." He focused his glare on Neji. "It's time you learned how to be a proper slave," he said. "I suggest you find the kitchen. I'm starving."

Gaara rested his head on his arms at the table, and Neji sighed deeply. He used the door that went from his room to the hallway to get out. He realized that he could go anywhere he wanted in the palace. They weren't concerned about him. They weren't concerned about inside threats, or escapes, or invaders. The security measures were back in place, but this still showed a great deal of poor preparation and arrogance.

Neji instantly considered investigating the palace. But then he glanced back towards Gaara's door. He shook his head and smiled slightly. Well… he couldn't let the Kazekage starve. He'd find the kitchen. Then he'd get some answers.

* * *

That night, Gaara curled up under the blankets of his bed. He stared at the door that connected his room to Neji's. It was closed now. In this vast, unfamiliar room, Gaara wished that door was open. Somehow knowing someone else was close would have been a comfort.

Slowly Gaara's eyes closed, and he fell into a dream. A dream woven from memories desperately trying to piece themselves back together.

_"Don't tell me you believed him, Gaara,"_ a voice said from the dark.

"Shut up," Gaara said. "You're just a memory that won't fade. You don't exist. You're gone."

_"Then why can you still hear me?"_

"Because something is wrong with me…. Something is wrong, and I can't remember what pieces are missing."

_"No matter what pieces you find, I will always be part of your dark past."_

The blackness started to fade into fog, and Gaara landed on his feet in a vast ballroom. Snow fell as if the ceiling weren't there. The fog was so thick he could barely see in front of him. Gaara looked around, feeling as though the scene was oddly familiar. And then the snowflakes started to darken bit by bit, until there was no snow at all. Soon it was raining blood.

"Destroy him," a strained, female voice said from the shadows. "Break him. Break his mind. Break his heart. Break his spirit. Break his body. Make him suffer, as I have suffered."

A woman broke through the fog like the walking dead. Her face sunken, blood dripping down her rotting body. She smelled like death. In his surprise, he let her get close enough to touch his face, and as her freezing fingers touched him, he remembered who she was. He had seen her before in his dreams. He couldn't remember when he had starting seeing her, or why… but he remembered her.

"Break who?" he asked.

"The one you call Neji is not who he seems," she said, forcing her voice past her rotting gums. "He is the reason we suffer. You must break him and torture him. Very, very slowly."

"Why should I?" Gaara asked.

"He preys on the innocent and brings ruin and suffering to everything he touches. And you and all you care about will be no exception. Do not fall for his charms, or you will become his prey."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why should I care? You assume that I have something to lose."

"I can feel the war inside of you. You want to know who you are. He has the answers. He has all the missing pieces of your memories."

"I'm probably better off without them."

She reached out and touched his forehead with a bloody finger. "Then I will make you hate him," she said.

He woke up and sat up in bed. It was still dark. Gaara glanced at the closed door between their rooms. Inside of him, he could feel the rage rising up in him. Feelings of aggression, anger, and the feeling of being in danger. He slowly rose and walked to the door. Slowly turning the knob, he managed to open it without a sound. He stepped into Neji's small room and found him sleeping on the bed. His white hair and white robes fanned around him, making him look like a bird.

Gaara walked over to the bed, a letter opener in his had. He looked down at Neji as he held the dull blade up, ready to strike him. Anywhere would do. He wouldn't kill him quickly. Seeing him in pain would be satisfying enough. The rage he had for him was overwhelming, consuming.

And yet he couldn't strike him.

Neji's eyes slowly opened, dark and consuming. He looked up at Gaara, his face calm and serene, even as he saw the blade in Gaara's hand. Gaara searched his eyes, the only light coming from a dying candle.

"You aren't afraid to die?" Gaara asked, trying to hold back the wave of hate that burned inside him.

"No," Neji said softly.

Gaara's hands were shaking. The calm surrounding Neji was cooling his rage, no matter how much it felt good to fuel the flames inside of him.

"This isn't you," Neji said gently.

"This is me," Gaara said, but his hand dropped as he clutched the blade.

Neji slowly touched Gaara's shaking hand. Gaara realized that Neji's hands were surprisingly warn. Much warmer than Kaali's touch. But he quickly drew his hand away. "Don't ever, ever touch me again," he growled.

_"Just kill him."_

"Shut up!" Gaara yelled, grabbing his head.

Neji sat up and blinked in shock. "I didn't say anything."

_"Make him bleed. End his existence."_

"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't need you!" Gaara yelled. But Shukaku's voice still echoed in his head. And not only his. The bloody woman was there too, twisting his mind and his body. Making him hate Neji with all he had.

"Gaara, you have to fight it!" a young blonde woman said beside him. He blinked and she was gone.

Gaara started to breath quickly, his head spinning. It was like he was surrounded. The voices were everywhere, and yet he couldn't truly see them.

"Gaara?" Neji said gently as he rose to his feet. "There is no one else here. It's just you and me."

"Stay away from me," Gaara said, holding up the blade again, his body shaking all over. "If you come any closer, I'll kill you."

Neji continued to advance and Gaara backed against the wall.

_"What a defiant child,"_ Shukaku said. _"It's time for him to die."_

_"He's vermin,"_ the bloody woman said. _"Eliminate him slowly."_

"Gaara," Neji said. "Put the blade down."

_"Kill him."_

_"Kill him."_

_"KILL HIM!"_

_"He deserves to die!"_

"Lower the blade," Neji repeated. "I won't ask you again."

Gaara lunged forward with the blade, aiming for Neji's throat. But his strike was easily blocked, and he felt his body being whirled in a completely different direction as Neji used Gaara's body weight and momentum to easily turn him to face the wall. The blade was now discarded on the floor, and with a firm hold on Gaara's wrist Neji had one of his arms pinned behind him. Gaara's back was against Neji's chest now, and one of Neji's arms was around Gaara's neck, holding him in place. Every time Gaara made a move to break away, his arm would feel like it was being twisted out of its socket behind him, and Neji increased the pressure on his throat.

"Relax," Neji said calmly. Gaara struggled, but Neji only calmly held him in place, waiting for his movements to slow.

Gaara finally stopped moving, and he breathed heavily in frustration and humiliation. Neji's grip loosened just enough to hold him in place, but not hurt him. Gaara could feel Neji's heart beating faintly against his back. He for Neji to gloat or make him feel lower than he already did.

"You're going to be okay," Neji said gently, much to Gaara's surprise. His mouth was very close to Gaara's ear, as though the words held a secret for him and him alone. His voice had become soft... every word seeming meaningful. The tone of his voice sent a chill up Gaara's spine. "You'll find peace again. And I'll help you," Neji said.

"Let go of me," Gaara said, though his voice had lost its harshness.

"I'll let go when I don't think you'll hurt yourself," Neji said.

It took a moment, but Gaara's muscles finally released their tension. Neji slowly let go of him and backed away. Gaara didn't turn to meet his eyes. Instead he darted out of the room, slamming the door behind him.


	12. The Obsessions

**Amargosa Sun: The Obsessions**

Temari was alerted when a group of ninja approached the sand village. Suna's defenses were higher than normal, as most of the public thought that Gaara was sick and unable to see anyone. But it had been weeks since he had been spotted. Doctors from all over the village wanted to attend to him, but Temari explained that Gaara ordered not to be disturbed, and that his condition would slowly, but surely, improve. Only a select few knew the truth. Gaara was no longer there, and now, he was missing.

Temari walked slowly to the village entrance, her head filled with worry for her brothers. The village needed Gaara back, and people missed his presence dearly. And Temari had to admit that she didn't realize just how many duties and responsibilities Gaara actually had. Now, she felt foolish and like the biggest failure in the land for letting him leave so easily. She had just been so sure that things would come out okay….

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that she was at the entrance and fast approaching the small group of ninja. She sighed in relief when she realized that it was a team from Konoha.

"Gai-sensei," Temari smiled. "It's good to see you."

Gai flashed a flamboyant smile, standing tall in his all green outfit and green vest. Temari never failed to notice that his black hair never moved in the wind. But at least now she had learned not to stare.

"As you might have guessed," Gai said, his face growing serious, "I'm here to speak to Gaara. My cute students never returned to the village! The Hokage also sent me to return to him with any more information you might have on The Pillar."

Temari took a deep breath. Gai noticed her hesitation.

"I hear Gaara is ill," he said softly.

Temari looked up at him, her eyes wide. But she knew the moment she looked at him that he knew something was wrong. He knew Gaara wasn't sick.

"I'm going to be completely clear here," Gai said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "The Hokage wants to know exactly what is going on. You're our allies, and you were attacked. We, too, were attacked. We need to take care of this threat before anything else happens to our villages." As he spoke, he had been walking her away from the other ninja until they could no longer be heard over the desert wind. "I also want to be clear that I know you're covering something up. And if I'm right about that, your village can't handle another attack, from The Pillar or anyone else."

Temari glanced back at the village, staring at it for a long time. She loved the village dearly, but as it stood now, she would be here alone, without her brothers. Her only family. For a brief moment, she wondered if it were worth it. Would it be selfish to reveal the village was missing its leader and that she wanted help getting him back? She was confident that Suna could survive an attack, but if word got out that Gaara was missing, there would be chaos. And not only that…. Some people on the council might go as far as to replace him and appoint another Kazekage in his place.

She handed Gai a slip of paper with a copy of a map and carefully printed directions. "This is where they went," she whispered to him. "Gaara and your team, they both headed in this direction. That was weeks ago. We've still had no word."

Gai took the notes from her and quickly tucked them away. "I'll tell the Hokage and no one else," he promised. "He'll know how to help."

* * *

Gaara shivered in bed. Morning had arrived and the air in the palace was heavy with the chill. He was still mostly asleep, and although his body was terribly uncomfortable, he was too tired to get up and try to warm himself. Suddenly he felt a light weight fall over his body and his body instantly relaxed. He opened his eyes to see a thick blanket had been tossed over his bed. He heard footsteps and caught a glimpse of Neji walking back into his room. There was food on the table. Since conjuring wasn't allowed or possible inside the palace unless the royal family did it, Neji had to do what he could to make Gaara comfortable with his own two hands. He was doing his job and being obedient.

Something about that didn't sit well with Gaara. Clearly Neji was up to something.

This went on for a few days, with Neji going to the kitchen and serving Gaara his food. He also made sure Gaara was warm enough. He was there whenever Gaara wanted something. Neji didn't complain, or show any fear or discomfort. Every day he would serve, but when he wasn't needed it didn't escape Gaara's notice that he'd leave his room and explore the palace. Even though Gaara spent much of his time with Kaali, he noticed when Neji wasn't close. And with every passing day Gaara could see Neji's eyes growing more and more secure with his surroundings and his situation. He was getting to know the palace, finding out what he needed to know to escape, and most importantly… no one suspected that he could be of any danger.

Gaara started to get more and more frustrated with him. Every time Gaara tried to remember him all he could remember was how no one had been there for him, and how his life was devoid of love or friendship. But he couldn't deny that there was something about Neji that was interesting… even inviting. Denial seemed like the best action, and Gaara proceeded to take out his growing frustration on Neji.

While Gaara usually preferred to keep to himself, he found himself seeking out Neji purely for the sake of making his life miserable. He tried to degrade him, to insult him, to give him chores to do to keep him from wandering the palace. And Neji would only smile, nod, and calmly obey. But despite his refusal to rebel or disobey, between the two of them, he was always the one in control. Behind Neji's smile Gaara could see strength and pride. He had a powerful masculine appeal under a graceful, almost ethereal appearance. The more Gaara noticed this, the harder he tried to push Neji to his breaking point. The harder he tried to push him to see how far he could go. To test the boundaries of Neji's strength and control. And ever enduring, Neji's composure never slipped.

"Where do you go every day?" Gaara asked finally as they both sat at his table one day.

"I explore and observe," Neji said simply.

"For what purpose?" Gaara asked.

"To understand my enemy," Neji responded.

"Do you still plan on taking me away from here?" Gaara asked, a little annoyed that Neji didn't seem to mind his position as his slave.

"Of course," Neji said. "And I have no doubt that one way or another, I will succeed."

"The second you get me away from here," Gaara warned. "I'll kill you. If we cross outside of the boundaries of this kingdom, my chakra will regenerate, I'll gain my abilities back, and I'll kill you slowly before returning here."

Neji only smiled softly at him. "Could you really do that to me?"

"I wouldn't think twice," Gaara said. "And I'd feel no guilt. I hate you. I hate the fact that you're trying to take me back. I hate the fact that you're parading as my friend. I hate everything about you. You are completely and utterly without worth to me, and I'd be glad to see you suffer."

Neji took a sip of water and seemed to be calmly contemplating this. "You know what the oddest thing about this situation is?" he asked softly. "The oddest thing is, you were never like this in the past. Not even when Shukaku had a hold on you." He tilted his head in thought. "When I first saw you years ago, you were calm and collected. Lee said you were blatantly honest, but never rude or nasty. Even when Shukaku was raging you seemed to be attempting to maintain some sort of control so you didn't destroy everything in your path."

"Like I said, you didn't know me…" Gaara said lowly.

"What could be causing this change in your attitude?" Neji continued to speak thoughtfully.

"You're annoying," Gaara said, sitting back in his chair with a sigh.

"And then I realized you don't like not having something to control you," Neji said, meeting his eyes with a subtle smirk. "Before you had people to control you. Your father, your village. Now you have only yourself."

Gaara narrowed his eyes into a glare that could have killed someone with a weaker will. "Excuse me?"

"It must be hard, living a life in which losing control would lead to people being killed or lives destroyed," Neji said, his eyes fixed sharply on Gaara from across the table. "Or maybe you were given too much power from a young age, and you didn't like the responsibility of it. Either way, you enjoy giving up that control. You constantly challenge everyone and everything around you, just waiting for someone who actually has the strength to put up with you. The more you push the situation, and the crueler you get, the more you subconsciously desire a complete and total loss of control over things."

Gaara was silent and shaking with anger. He slowly rose from his hair. Neji rose as well, because he could see it in Gaara's eyes. Gaara really wanted nothing more than to beat him senseless right now. Or worse.

"That explains everything," Neji smirked. "That explains why you were such an out of control kid so many years ago. Maybe it wasn't always Shukaku pulling the strings. Maybe you committed some of those crimes of your own free will, just hoping that someone would come along and care enough to put you in your place."

Gaara was advancing on him slowly, his calm disintegrating.

"It's like some sort of masochistic father complex," Neji continued, standing his ground, a smirk on his face. "Raising yourself since you were a kid, always being in control and always taking the blame, having no one to protect you or take the reins for once in your life. You need someone to play daddy, don't you?"

Gaara was getting closer, moving like a predator, unable to block out the words that stabbed him.

"That was why you said you only loved yourself, Gaara," Neji said. "It was really just an excuse to push as many people as far as you could, even if it meant hurting them, just to find someone who could fulfill your most selfish desire. And you pushed some of them so far that you killed them."

Gaara was standing just inches from him now.

"Just like your uncle," Neji said, a dark smile on his lips. "You told me you killed him. Did you really have to push him that far to get him to prove that he didn't think you were just a worthless test of will for him? Or have you forgotten Yashamaru too?"

Gaara suddenly punched him across the face. Neji expected it, but what he hadn't expected was the sheer force behind it. He stumbled backwards and grabbed on to a chair to remain standing. "Did I say something wrong?" he chuckled. "Did I insult you somehow… even though you find yourself beyond redemption?"

Gaara punched him again and again, shaking with rage. "You don't know anything!" Gaara yelled, grabbing Neji by the front of his robes and slamming him back against the wall. "I have never, ever taken a life for such petty and pathetic reasons! It was always Shukaku! I couldn't control him!" He slammed Neji back against the wall again, harder this time. Neji took the blow with maddening calmness. "I didn't kill Yashamaru in cold blood. I never want to hear you speak his name again!"

"You don't take lives for satisfy your whims and you don't kill in cold blood," Neji said. "You make yourself sound almost noble for someone beyond redemption. But I'm pretty sure that when you crushed my friend's body in the middle of a tournament and left him to live his life as a cripple you knew what you were doing."

Memories flickered in Gaara's mind. He did crush someone. There was a tournament. But the person he was fighting… he couldn't remember who it was.

"It stands to reason that you always knew what you were doing," Neji said, blood trickling down the side of his mouth. "How many people did you kill when you had Shukaku's power to rely on?"

"I didn't use him! He was the one using me!"

"Do you or don't you have more sins on your shoulders than you can count?" Neji said. "Don't you even know?"

"I do…" Gaara growled. "Just not… what you think."

"Then what?" Neji pushed. "Are you a murderer or aren't you?"

"I'm not what you're making me out to be!"

"Then why act like such a demon if you've got so many excuses as to why you weren't one?"

"Because it's the only way my life makes sense!" Gaara yelled, backing away from Neji and pacing in the middle of the room like a caged animal. "Don't you get it?! I can't be the good person you're always trying to convince me I am! I have to be sinful and ugly and horrible and worthless! That's the only way I can justify being treated the way I've been treated all my life! If I were so good and respectable then why did I get treated that way?! Why did people hate me?! Why was my life hell?! Playing the part of the villain is the only way to make sense of things! It's too hard to think that being a good person would lead to a life like that! So I'd rather be a bad person. Then it makes sense!"

Neji stared at him. His expression softened, and his eyes were apologetic. Gaara realized that it had all been an act, and that he'd fallen for every word.

"You don't want to believe that good would have to face that type of evil," Neji said. "So deep down, you're still the same old Gaara."

Gaara stood there in shock. The anger, the sorrow, the bitterness… all of it was draining from him and fading away. He was emotionally exhausted, and unable to hang on to any of those tiring, negative emotions. He started to feel the euphoria of releasing them one by one. And the euphoria spread throughout his body, relaxing him and soothing him. He shut his eyes, and then looked up at Neji again. He saw past the white hair, and past the dark eyes. He looked deeper and deeper. He saw kindness in those eyes, and friendship, and assurance. He realized that he wasn't alone. And as soon as he realized that, all sorts of possibilities opened up, and memories opened up in him like a flood.

He walked over to the table and picked up a napkin, wetting it a bit in one of the glasses of water. He walked over and wiped the blood from Neji's mouth.

"Nice disguise," he said softly.

Neji smiled. "Nice punch," he said.

"Why did you let me hit you?" Gaara asked as the last of his memories righted themselves. He remembered everything now. Including the abilities of the friends he had tried to forget. Neji could have easily dodged those punches.

"Because you needed it," Neji said, wincing a bit as Gaara cleaned the last of the blood from his lips.

Neji looked down into Gaara's eyes. They were patient, wise, soft, and kind again. Gaara reached up slowly and touched Neji's white hair curiously.

"It's just an illusion," Neji said.

"Good," Gaara said bluntly. "But before I lost my mind I told myself to look with someone with dark hair and light eyes, and here you are with light hair and dark eyes."

"You were looking for me?" Neji asked.

Gaara looked away and cleared his throat. "It seemed logical," he shrugged lightly. He slowly walked away, looking at the room with a new perspective. He glimpsed himself in a nearby mirror, clothed in black robes, making his skin look ghostly pale. Blinking, he stepped closer and rose his hand to his neck. There was a deep red mark there…. Almost like….

"What the hell was I thinking…" Gaara muttered, sinking down into a soft chair nearby.

Neji tilted his head and walked closer, brushing his fingertips over the dark bruise. "How did this happen?" he asked.

Gaara averted his eyes and opened his mouth, then seemed to decided against it and closed it again. He glanced up to Neji with a somewhat guilty look on his face. Neji's eyes widened for a moment, then he frowned. "Is that…."

"Yes," Gaara said, sitting back with his hands over his face.

"The princess?" Neji asked.

"Yes," Gaara sighed.

An awkward silence passed between them.

"Did you two… you know…?"

"Yes…" Gaara said.

Another awkward silence passed.

"What were you thinking?!" Neji suddenly exclaimed.

"I didn't have my memories!" Gaara said. "I wasn't thinking at all!"

"You ran away from home to get laid?!"

"It just… happened," Gaara groaned. "She was there, I was there… I was tense. I wasn't myself! Years of lessons and morals and wisdom were missing…."

"I thought you had higher standards," Neji blinked.

"I do," Gaara said. "You can't blame me for stuff I did when I was missing so many memories I didn't remember who I was. Do you think I'm proud of it?"

More silence passed.

"Why did you lose your memories?" Neji asked finally. "Did they brainwash you somehow?"

"No," Gaara said. "I did it to myself. I had to keep myself from being comfortable. Otherwise, I'd fall into a dream state and become completely obsessed with what this place can give me." He suddenly remembered something and looked up to Neji. "That's what happened to Tenten. She's in the city. This place has a hold on her now."

Neji shut his eyes and nodded. "We got separated," he said. "We found Kankurou not long after we got here, but we all got separated from each other."

There was a knock at the door. Neji and Gaara looked at each other nervously before Princess Kaali stepped inside.

"Gaara, love," Kaali smiled. "Shall we go for a stroll?" She blinked and looked at Neji. "What happened to your face?" she asked. "You're bleeding. You look like a fighting vagrant."

"I…"

"He tripped," Gaara said.

"Yes…" Neji said, tracking his eyes over to Gaara. "I… tripped."

"I'm a little tired today, Kaali," Gaara said. "I hope you don't mind if I rest today."

"Oh, of course not," she smiled sweetly. "I suppose I tired you out yesterday."

Gaara could feel Neji's eyes staring like daggers at the side of his head. "I suppose you did," Gaara said with a slight smile.

"I will check on you later then," she said as she leaned in to kiss him. He returned the kiss, and he could swear that the room got colder in Neji's direction. Kaali smiled and then left.

Awkward, awkward silence.

"I don't feel anything for her," Gaara said, breaking the silence that was so thick you could cut it. "The time I spent with her was completely hollow."

"You don't have to explain," Neji said softly.

"Yes, I do," Gaara said, meeting his eyes. "It's important to me that you believe me. I know it sounds crazy, but I couldn't help it. It wasn't just my memories. It was like something was driving me to her. And I couldn't come to my senses until it was too late. I can't explain… I just want you to believe me. She means nothing."

Neji blinked and nodded. "I believe you."

But Gaara was still studying his eyes. He stood up slowly and walked a little closer. "You haven't been sleeping properly," Gaara said. "Have you been unable to find a place to rest?" His face grew concerned. "Have you been out there in the snow without shelter all this time?"

"I usually found somewhere to rest," Neji said.

"But…?"

Neji sighed softly. "I'm afraid to sleep."

Gaara rose a brow. "Why?"

Neji told him about the rotting, bloody, evil woman from his dreams. To his surprise, Gaara nodded in understanding.

"She's the reason I'm here," Gaara said. He shared his dreams with Neji, and Neji found himself relieved to be understood.

"Why does she want me dead?" Neji asked. Even as he spoke he was holding on to a chair to steady himself. He was tired, and was extending himself beyond his capacity. The short bursts of sleep he was able to get weren't enough anymore.

"You need to sleep," Gaara said. He nodded over to his bed. Neji looked over at it, dread in his eyes. "Believe me," Gaara continued. "I understand."

Neji looked at him, suddenly remembering that for years, Gaara couldn't sleep properly… if at all. The dark rings around his eyes were proof of that. Neji had just gotten so used to them that he'd forgotten what had caused them.

"I will try," Neji said, turning to go back to his room.

"No," Gaara said. "Stay here."

Neji turned and hesitated, but walked over to the large bed. He laid down on it with a contented sigh. But he was still too tense to sleep. Gaara pulled up a chair next to him and brushed his hand gently over Neji's face, guiding his eyelids closed.

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of trouble before I left Suna?" Neji whispered sleepily, his eyes closed.

"You also told me I'm defiant because I want someone to put me in line," Gaara said. "Good luck with that, by the way."

Neji smiled softly in response, but his body relaxed and his head rolled gently to one side. He was asleep. Seeing this, Gaara reached out and took his hand. Suddenly he felt his heart speed up, and his muscles tense. He could feel rage building inside, but he easily pushed it back. She couldn't make him hate Neji again. She couldn't make him angry at him, and she couldn't make him hurt him.

"If you want me to end your pain," Gaara said against the building rage, "You'll spare him. Or it will go on forever. And no matter what horrors you show me I would rather die than let you hurt him."

After that, Neji slept peacefully for hours, his hand in Gaara's.

* * *

After night fell, Princess Kaali picked up her hand mirror and stared into it. Gaara hadn't wanted to be with her badly enough. That was an issue. He should have dropped everything to be with her, as wonderful and beautiful as she was. Maybe he was really tired, but as glorious as she was it shouldn't have mattered.

Little did she know, in the other room, Neji awoke with his hand in Gaara's. Gaara's fingertips were idly brushing over the skin of Neji's hand as he stared into space, still seated in the chair by the bed, unaware that Neji's eyes had opened. And Neji made no effort to pull his hand away. Instead he sat up on the bed, pulling Gaara forward by the hand so that he had to lean in closer.

"I'll just have to continue what I started before that frail little sacrifice rejected the pillar," Kaali said to herself as she picked up her hand mirror. It glowed in her hand.

She didn't see how Gaara let himself be pulled in, or how he slid his hands into Neji's hair. She didn't see the silent exchange of their eyes, or the way Neji roughly pulled Gaara close and whispered something in his ear.

"I command you…" Kaali said to the mirror as it glowed.

Neji crushed Gaara in his arms as their lips met. There was no hesitation. Neji's lips were soft, but his kiss was commanding. Without breaking their rhythm he guided Gaara from the chair onto the bed. Gaara found himself on his back, Neji's weight on top of him. The kiss was long and deep and so forceful that Gaara could taste the blood from the wound he had inflicted on Neji earlier. He only had a brief moment to feel apologetic before their kiss wiped away any worries he had.

"And this time," Kaali hissed into the mirror, "I want no mistakes. This must be binding and unbreakable… or you will pay dearly."

At first Neji's tongue was a slow, probing wetness, but Gaara parted his lips and explored Neji's mouth with so much enthusiasm that Neji had to push him back onto the bed again before Gaara sent them rolling off and onto the floor. They broke the kiss and Neji smirked down at him. Gaara stared up into his eyes, a smile tugging at the side of his mouth. His hands were still in Neji's hair, pulling him down again.

"Make Gaara fall in love with me!" Kaali yelled into the hand mirror talisman.

And in the other room, Gaara froze before Neji could kiss him again. He inhaled sharply as if in pain, his eyes widening and his hand darting over his own heart.


End file.
